Edmonton police charge 2 after discovering massive 'chop shop' on north side
More than $600,000 worth of stolen property already recovered; search of warehouse continues
Two people face charges after Edmonton police discovered a massive "chop shop" for dismantling stolen vehicles.
A police photograph of the northeast Edmonton dismantling operation shows a large outdoor storage yard filled with truck doors, bumpers and other vehicle parts.
"Police are continuing to search the warehouse," Staff Sgt. Mark Hilton said in a news release Wednesday. "We've only searched about a quarter of the compound so far and have found more than $600,000 worth of vehicle parts and stolen property."
The investigation began June 1, when police pulled over a 2012 Dodge Ram truck towing a flat-deck trailer near 121st Avenue and 76th Street.
Police learned the trailer was stolen and the truck had an unauthorized licence plate.
A search warrant was later executed on a business, where police recovered a stolen 2013 Dodge Ram truck that was being dismantled. The truck had an estimated value of $80,000.
Other stolen property recovered at the warehouse included tool boxes, tools, a forklift, stolen licence plates, vehicle identification number (VIN) plates, VIN stickers, various vehicle parts and a prohibited "butterfly" knife, police said.
A man, 53, and a woman, 36, have been charged with a variety of offences, including possession of stolen property for the purposes of trafficking, and altering or removing vehicle identification numbers.
The investigation continues.