VANCOUVER -- Police have seized a treasure trove of pricey cognac, designer purses and haute couture from an East Vancouver home – all of it allegedly stolen.
Officers moved in on Nov. 27 after getting a tip something was amiss in a house near Victoria Drive and East 49th Street.
Room after room was filled with merchandise from designers like Coach, Michael Kors and Karl Lagerfeld. Officers found dozens of bottles of cognac including Hennessy XO worth $305 dollars each, as well as fine wines and scotch.
Merchandise was neatly displayed with price tags and is worth an estimated $130,000.
All of it, the real deal.
"This is a fence. It's a black market retail operation," said Sgt. Aaron Roed. "People get information on how to go to this house to buy stolen property at a discounted rate."
Two people have been arrested and police will recommend theft-related charges.
The VPD admits property crime spikes around Christmas, and has so far investigated 2,000 incidents of shoplifting.
Much of the merchandise ends up in homes or shops engaged in black market operations.
"We have no clue how many are existing in the city. I'm going to say that this is not the only one," said Roed.
Now police are trying to get merchandise back to retailers.
