Vancouver's Identity Theft Task Force has been tracking a group of more than 300 criminals for several years.
"It's a loosely knit group which share information between each other, share how to do crime," says VPD's Detective Rob Jaberg.
The special police team investigates identity theft and property crimes associated with fraud. What police have discovered is that the group responsible for the vast majority of fraud in Vancouver shares more than just a criminal record.
"(We've) found probably around 95 per cent of our target group is involved in crystal meth," says Jaberg.
Almost every one of the criminals the team arrests is a meth addict. In fact, police believe the drug fuels their crime sprees.
"They can go for 24 to 48 hours without sleeping and in that time, they can do multiple crimes to support that habit," says Detective Jaberg.
For years, Peter was part of a subculture of meth addicts who use and do crime together.
"Once the dope wears you down to a point where you've got nothing and it just seems like crime is the easiest and most prosperous way to make a living," says Peter.
He recognizes many of the stolen goods CTV's Michele Brunoro laid out before him.
Peter did B&E's -- hundreds of them -- before police nailed him. He'd sell the stolen goods and stolen personal information to meth-addicted fraudsters. It could be your insurance papers. It could be hotel registration information. Peter's thieving made him good money.
"Anywhere from a thousand dollars to five, 10, 15, depending where you went and what you did," says Peter.
According to police, that's just a fraction of what some of the major players are making.
"We generally see between 30 and 40-thousand dollars a month," says Jaberg.
Police say the criminals they're arresting come from all walks of life.
"We've had individuals from well-to-do families, successful families...they're used to the nice cars, the nice clothes, the nice stuff," says Jaberg.
And each of them has their own criminal expertise.
Police gather evidence against fraudsters and then work with a designated prosecutor so when cases go to court, the charges stick.
"Through him, we've obtained a 100 per cent conviction rate," says Detective Jaberg.
At the time of this interview, Peter said it was a harsh jail sentence that forced him to turn his life around. He warned others to stay away from meth.
"You like the excitement, the adrenaline, but it will all come crashing down and when it does, it will hurt you," Peter told CTV News.
But police claim Peter is back using and back into crime, facing new charges including forgery.
With a report from CTV British Columbia's Michele Brunoro
