More than $116K worth of sunglasses stolen during summer crime spree in Winnipeg

A 22-year-old man and a 20-year-old woman have been arrested after nearly 300 designer sunglasses, worth more than $116,000, were stolen during a weeks-long crime spree at stores around Winnipeg, police say.

The two face charges after half a dozen separate thefts, which happened between early June and late August, police said in a Tuesday news release.

The first happened just after 7 p.m. on June 5, when 23 pairs valued at over $5,600 were taken from a business in the 1500 block of Regent Avenue W., police said.

Police did not identify the exact stores that were targeted in any of the thefts, but CBC News has learned two of them were Sunglass Hut locations — one in St. Vital Centre and one in the Outlet Collection Winnipeg. Another was a Sunglass Outfitters by Sunglass Hut store across Sterling Lyon Parkway from the Outlet Collection.

"It kind of took all of us in shock," said Thwisha Patel, manager of the Sunglass Hut store in St. Vital Centre, which was targeted in a theft on the evening of Aug. 28. "Now you're always suspecting everybody."

According to police, that theft involved 72 pairs of sunglasses, valued at over $25,000.

Another sunglass store in the St. Vital mall was robbed June 12 around 7 p.m., when 30 pairs were taken. That loss was valued at more than $11,000, police said.

The other thefts reported by police happened at the Outlet Collection locations and Cabela's:

• June 23 around 8:45 p.m., when 60 pairs worth more than $22,000 were taken.
• July 6 around 7:45 p.m., when 46 pairs valued at over $21,000 were taken.
• Aug. 4 around 6:30 p.m., when 67 pairs valued at almost $30,000 were taken.

Police say the value of all the glasses stolen totals more than $116,000.

In each case, a thief entered the business while attempting to conceal their identity, according to police.

Patel said thefts can happen very quickly, when an entire shelf or two of glasses are swept up by a thief, or may happen more clandestinely, with someone asking to try on glasses while someone else then distracts the clerk.

"They target glasses averaging around $400 to $500. They only have to grab four and it's already $2,000," she said, adding the thieves sometimes swap their cheap sunglasses for the expensive ones and walk out without staff realizing until later that something was taken.

"A few of our associates have also been threatened, which is very traumatizing. You don't feel safe coming to work anymore."

Police say their investigation led to executing a search warrant on Sept. 8 at a suite on Pembina Highway, between Markham Road and Dartmouth Drive. More than 40 pairs of designer glasses, valued at over $12,000, were recovered, police say.

The 22-year-old man has been charged with six counts of theft over $5,000, according to police, while the 20-year-old woman faces charges of possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000.