A chop shop type of operation has been shut down and over $100,000 in stolen property have been recovered after a lengthy investigation involving several RCMP teams.
On April 5, Viking RCMP, Killam RCMP and the Eastern Alberta District Crime Reduction Unit (EADCRU) searched a home in Hardisty.
They seized numerous pieces of stolen property that officers said have ties to thefts in other jurisdictions.
Then, on April 11, officers from the Viking, Two Hills and Vegreville detachements, along with the EADCRU and K Division Auto Theft Unit, searched a rural property near Bruce.
There they found a chop shop type operation and stolen property from a number of communities across Alberta.
Stolen property from the two searches includes:
- Two stolen ATVs
- Two stolen motorcycles
- Eight stolen vehicles
- Various stolen parts from dismantled vehicles
- One loaded 9mm handgun
- 21 long-barreled firearms
- Thousands of rounds of ammunition
- Two chainsaws
- One concrete saw
- Methamphetamine, marijuana and LSD
Michael Kelm, 41, Lane Kelm, 34, Lonny Kelm, 62, and Chenoa Taron, 26, from Bruce, and Blair Delawski, 28, from Viking are all facing four counts of possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000.
All were scheduled to appear in Vegreville Provincial Court on Monday.