B.C. wants odd police haul forfeited — signed jerseys, XXXL high fashion, gold tooth

A Vancouver Police officer is pictured in Vancouver, B.C., Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ethan Cairns

The B.C. government is seeking the forfeiture of an eclectic haul of sports memorabilia, supersized luxury clothing, cash, jewelry and a gold tooth that were seized by Vancouver police in a criminal probe in March.

There are XXXL jackets from Versace, Gucci and Dior, a 24-karat gold bar, $34,000 in cash and soccer jerseys signed by stars including Lionel Messi and Ronaldo.

The unusual haul of goods that was seized from an industrial area of Port Coquitlam, next to a rail yard, was detailed late last month in the B.C. Gazette in a list of items subject to forfeiture.

Owners can file a dispute within 60 days of publication in the gazette, which does not identify the owner of the property.

Nor does it say whether the "Ronaldo jersey" was signed by the one-named Brazilian star or Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo.

The Ministry of Public Safety said in an emailed statement that it couldn't confirm whether an administrative forfeiture has been disputed "due to privacy considerations."

The Vancouver Police Department said the seizure "relates to an ongoing criminal investigation."

"We are unable to provide additional details," Sgt. Steve Addison said in an email.

The Vancouver Police Department made the seizure on March 1 in the 2100 block of Kingsway Avenue in Port Coquitlam. It's a stretch of road bookended by parking lots, including the Port Coquitlam Station Park and Ride for the West Coast Express commuter train.

The B.C. Gazette entry says the goods were "obtained by commission of an offence," but doesn't specify the offence.

The value of the signed jerseys was difficult to pin down without knowing if they're game-worn or souvenirs, said Darrell Lidstone, owner of DGL Sports in Vancouver.

The most valuable are those worn by players during games, and certified with paperwork.

"A game-worn Messi jersey could be worth as much as 50, $60,000," said Lidstone, whose company specializes in custom framing of jerseys.

"And if it's a game-worn jersey from a major tournament like the World Cup or the Copa (America) or something like that, you could look at something even more than that."

Lidstone said authentic jerseys can come from a "proper certified distributor," most of which are located in Europe.

"Game-worn jerseys are very difficult to acquire, unless you're on the inside," he said.

He said DGL Sports has a souvenir World Cup Messi jersey on sale for $5,000, but it wasn't game-worn.

"That same jersey for game-worn would be, you know, tenfold," he said. "In terms of where they came from, it makes all the difference in the world in terms of value."