An employee of the BC Liquor Distribution Branch is under investigation after more than $100,000 worth of hard alcohol was allegedly stolen from a warehouse in East Vancouver.
Signs of the substantial theft were first noticed by the LDB's loss-prevention department, which contacted Vancouver police back in April.
Their investigation led officers to execute a search warrant at a home in Delta last week, where Const. Jason Doucette said they recovered "boxes and boxes" containing a variety of liquors.
"I would say over 1,000 bottles in total, and we're estimating it to be well over $100,000 in product," Doucette told CTV News.
Two men were taken into custody at the home, and police later arrested a third suspect who works for the LDB.
It's unclear what the employee's position is, but a spokesperson for the LDB confirmed he has been suspended.
Doucette said police are still investigating the motive behind the theft, but suspect the alcohol was likely going to be resold.
"I can only assume that it was going to be for resale – this is a lot more than personal consumption," he said.
All three suspects have been released pending further investigation. Doucette said they are facing potential charges of possession of stolen property and theft over $5,000.
The LDB told CTV News it doesn't keep specific statistics on employee thefts, but does on "shrinkage," which includes internal thefts as well as shoplifting, administrative errors, damage and cashier errors.
In the last fiscal year, the branch recorded $1.63 million in shrinkage on $2.41 billion in sales.
