Three delivery drivers are facing theft charges following three separate Burnaby RCMP investigations.
RCMP said in each case, the driver was accused of stealing the packages they were meant to be delivering and then attempting to sell the items online.
The first case happened on Sept. 10 when Burnaby RCMP officers responded to a report of an Amazon driver stealing packages and then selling them online.
Police executed a search warrant on Sept. 29 at the driver’s home in Vancouver and found 32 packages worth about $2,200. The suspect, a 28-year-old man, was arrested and released pending approval of charges.
Then, on Nov. 16, Burnaby RCMP received another report of an Amazon driver stealing packages. Officers executed a search warrant at the driver’s Surrey home on Nov. 22 and now the 26-year-old man faces six counts of theft, police said.
On Nov. 28, another report of an Amazon driver stealing packages was received by police.
Burnaby RCMP officer executed a search warrant on Nov. 29 at the driver’s Vancouver home and the suspect, a 25-year-old man, was arrested and released.
Three counts of theft are expected to be forwarded to the B.C. Prosecution Service for consideration of charges, police said.
The items stolen include everything from a $627 men’s watch to a $35 Apple air tag, police confirmed.
In each case, police said Amazon, which has a warehouse in Burnaby, proactively identified possible thefts and contacted Burnaby RCMP to report them.
“It is unusual to see these types of thefts, let alone a pattern of separate incidents, as safeguards and security measures put in place by these types of businesses are often an effective deterrent,” Cpl. Mike Kalanj with the Burnaby RCMP said in a release.
“In all three of these cases, information gathered by Amazon was key in the investigation and the recovery of the goods.”
While the investigations are still underway, there is nothing to indicate the three incidents are linked, police said.
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