'I didn't do anything wrong': Lawsuit targets man accused of trafficking stolen cellphones

B.C.'s director of civil forfeiture is suing to keep hundreds of cellphones and laptops seized from an East Vancouver repair store targeted by the Vancouver Police Department's anti-fencing unit for the sale of stolen electronic goods.

The lawsuit — filed this week in B.C. Supreme Court — is linked to a pair of investigations into the owner of the store, who told the CBC he faces economic ruin as the result of police seizing goods worth hundreds of thousands of dollars.

"I didn't do anything wrong. I do a legitimate business. I'm working hard for this," John Mac said in an emotional phone conversation.

"They put me in a really bad situation and they take everything from me."

'Coolest Electronics'

According to the notice of civil claim, police believe Mac was using his cell phone repair shop to "obtain, traffic and store stolen property."

The VPD first started investigating Mac in 2017 when the businessman, formerly known as Obaidulla Shahbuddin, operated a retail store in the Downtown Eastside known as 'Coolest Electronics.'

According to the court documents, the squad's anti-fencing unit determined that Mac "knowingly acquired and trafficked in stolen property, and counselled drug-addicted and street-entrenched individuals to commit crimes to supply him stolen property."

In the course of the 2017 investigation, police seized nearly $370,000 worth of stolen property and property obtained through crime.

Mac pleaded guilty to one count of possession of stolen property for the purpose of trafficking in relation to that case in February 2018 and was given a conditional discharge and nine months probation.

The City of Vancouver directed Mac to close 'Coolest Electronics'. He opened his 'Cell Phone Repair Centre' — licensed only to sell new goods and do repairs — a few blocks away almost immediately after.

'Consistent' with trafficking of stolen property

According to the notice of civil claim, police began surveillance on Mac's new store last summer after receiving tips about the purchase of a stolen laptop and a stolen tablet.

He also allegedly offered to sell an undercover officer a used cellphone and a new counterfeit cellphone.

Police allegedly "observed many street-entrenched individuals attending the store for short duration visits, consistent with the trafficking of stolen property."

Investigators raided Mac's business last August; the lawsuit includes a detailed breakdown of the 955 items they seized, including laptops, tablets, iPhones and array of different brands of cellphones.

Mac wouldn't discuss his earlier guilty plea, but claimed he has gone out of his way to avoid coming into contact with stolen goods since. 

He claims all the phones the police seized recently came from legitimate suppliers and says any suggestion that he purchased stolen goods is the result of a misunderstanding.

"I'm not going to hurt my business, my life and everything," he said.

"We have in the store eight signs saying we do not buy anything from nobody."

'You have to do your due diligence'

Mac estimates the value of the goods seized as at least $300,000. He says he intends to fight any attempt by the director of civil forfeiture to keep his electronics. 

"I owe manufacturers, I owe suppliers, everything," he says.

Not to mention the impact of COVID-19.

"My life is like one of the worst, worst things that could be happening," he said.

"I'm a normal citizen. I feel like I'm trying to work hard and not do any crimes."

VPD media liaison Sgt. Aaron Roed could not comment on the specifics of the allegations against Mac, but said police have forwarded a report to Crown counsel in relation to the latest investigation.

He said both purchasers and businesses should be cautious before buying any used electronics goods, either through a storefront or through websites like Craigslist.

"You have to do your due diligence as a buyer," Roed said. "Make sure and check that the phone is not stolen."

Roed said most of the country's major carriers will confirm whether or not a cellphone has been reported as stolen. And he also pointed to sites like DeviceCheckCanada which allow users to enter a device's International Mobile Identity Number into a database that keeps track of goods which have been reported stolen or lost.

The identity number is a 15-digit number unique to each device. It can be found in a device's settings.

Mac has yet to file a response to the civil forfeiture lawsuit in court.

None of the latest allegations have been tested in court.