The discovery of what Alberta RCMP believe was a “chop shop” in Athabasca County being used to prepare stolen vehicles for resale was surprising because of “the sheer scale of this investigation,” a police official told reporters on Thursday.
Staff Sgt. Mark Hall showed reporters some of the stolen goods in north-central Alberta, including two semi-trucks, six semi-trailers, off-road vehicles, holiday trailers and pieces of heavy equipment.
Hall said police were tipped off about the property on Dec. 29 when someone told them a GPS device they had attached to a piece of property of theirs that was stolen showed them it was sitting at a rural property.
“We wouldn’t have gotten this far without the help,” Hall said of the tip, noting police officers believe they seized millions of dollars worth of stolen goods when they executed a search warrant at the property.
“Any action from the owners to be able to locate their equipment. if they put GPS trackers on them, especially the big-ticket items, … it does help police in our ability to find things.”
Hall explained why investigators believe the property where the search warrant was executed is a chop shop.
“There were several vehicles there that were stripped down, semi-trucks that looked like they were being repurposed , lots of equipment all over the place,” he said. “The amount of equipment that was found at that property there was definitely overwhelming.
“It was definitely eye-opening to find that in our community.”
Hall said property crime in rural Alberta is a growing concern that the RCMP is committed to addressing.
“I find in this area specifically, … property crime is very concerning for people and a lot of residents are frustrated,” he said.
According to Hall, investigators believe that after going through the property where the items were seized, it appears that the operation had been active for “quite some time.”
Kyle Cushing, a 36-year-old man from Athabasca, has been charged with possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000 and altering, destroying or removing a vehicle identification number.
He is scheduled to appear in court on Jan. 27.