VANCOUVER -- The owner of what police describe as a "large amount of cash" has come forward more than three months after the money was left at a B.C. Tim Hortons.
Mounties in Coquitlam say the money was found at a Tim Hortons on Austin Avenue in the Metro Vancouver city on June 20.
The cash was turned in to the local RCMP detachment, and months later, Mounties posted publicly that they were looking for its owner.
In a news release in late September, the Coquitlam RCMP said the rightful owner must be able to say how much money was left behind, and in what denomination of bills. Additionally, they must be able to provide the brand of bag the money had been left in.
On Monday, the RCMP said the cash had been claimed.
Officers say a man went to the detachment last week. Video footage from the restaurant showed the owner, and the man was able to provide "details about the incident that only the rightful owner of the money would know," the RCMP said.
As for why the man had the cash, Mounties said there was no evidence to suggest he'd obtained it illegally.
It appears the man just chose "not to use the banking system," Const. Deanna Law said in a statement Monday.
"The disadvantage is very clear. Placing cash in a bank or secure vault is a far better option than potentially losing it."
The incident in Coquitlam was made public a short time after another large wad of cash was found elsewhere in Metro Vancouver.
The money in that case was found in North Vancouver in early September, and was returned after its discovery was made public. However, the RCMP said more than 50 people tried to falsely claim the money during the search for the rightful owner.
