Theft ring involving delivery drivers shut down in Delta, B.C., police say

Delta police say they've uncovered a theft ring run by contractors working for a delivery service with a distribution facility in the city.

Earlier this week, officers arrested two men and seized $45,000 worth of merchandise from a home in Surrey, according to a news release from the Delta Police Department.

The suspected stolen goods - including high-end electronics, a new mattress and sports equipment, among other things - had been packaged for delivery and gone missing before arriving at their destinations, police said.

The delivery company alerted police to the suspicious activity in early November, the DPD said. Police did not share the name of the company in their release.

After an investigation that included "covert surveillance," officers executed a search warrant at the Surrey home on Dec. 8, police said, adding that the home was being used to store the stolen goods, which were listed for sale on Facebook Marketplace.

Two men were arrested during the search and later released pending further investigation, police said. They added that they expect to forward charges of theft and trafficking property obtained by crime to the B.C. Prosecution Service "in the near future."

“We know supply chains have experienced significant disruptions, between the pandemic and then the floods," said Delta police Chief Const. Neil Dubord, in the release.

"If people’s orders can make it through those hurdles, then those packages should get to their homes. I’m very pleased and proud that our officers were able to secure enough evidence to shut down this theft ring and recover the stolen deliveries."

Delta police are the latest agency to announce the recovery of stolen goods as part of a crackdown on theft this holiday season.

Earlier this week, Surrey RCMP and the Vancouver Police Department shared details of their own efforts to target shoplifters in their respective cities.