The Alberta RCMP has established charges against members of an organized vehicle theft ring that was based on registering stolen vehicles under the names of unsuspecting individuals.
In a press release on Wednesday, RCMP declared that this group was registering stolen vehicles with fraudulent vehicle identification numbers (Vins) by mainly exploiting lagoons in the third -party authorization system of Alberta records.
It can be used by people involved in organized crime to legitimize stolen vehicles, “restarted.”
As a result of an investigation carried out by the RCMP Automobile theft Unit that began in December 2024, five Edmonton individuals and two of High River, Alta., Have been accused of a combined total of 99 criminal charges.
RCMP SGT. Luke Halvorson said that the people who have been accused are not directly part of a appointed gang, but said RCMP believes they have connections with a criminal organization.
Police said at least 30 stolen vehicles have been linked to accused people, and six of these vehicles have been recovered so far.
According to Hanna Beydoun, director of Automobiles Policy of the Canada Insurance Office, the reinvention refers when a person illegally alters the vehicle’s identification number to “hide the true identity of that car, bad labeling it is essentially.”
Look | EPS hopes to address vehicles in Edmonton:
Alberta is experiencing an increase in car theft, and Edmonton is one of the most affected cities. Stephanie Cram of CBC spoke with Edmonton’s interim police chief about plans to address the problem.
RCMP said more than one kilogram of cocaine, more than 200 oxycontin pills and almost $ 10,000 in cash were also seized.
Since the beginning of the investigation in 2024, the RCMP Automobile theft Unit has identified and is working to locate more than 150 registered stolen vehicles that have been reinvested.
In general, the broader investigation of the Automobile Robbery Unit has resulted in the recovery of approximately $ 1.9 million in stolen vehicles in Alberta.
“We claim that someone would steal a vehicle, then someone would create a vin for him and then use one of the other people in the organization to register that vehicle through the third party authorization system, therefore, legitimizing that vehicle,” said Halvorson.
Halvorson said that thieves will sometimes ensure stolen vehicles once they are registered, and will inform the stolen and collect the claim payment.
“Then, they essentially steal a $ 80,000 vehicle, they make sure, they say it is stolen, [then] They still have the $ 80,000 vehicle and the $ 80,000, “said Halvorson.
He said that criminals will also often sell stolen vehicles that have been revinated.
“They have sold them to unsuspecting citizens who now drive a stolen vehicle that could be seized at any time.”
Halvorson said that the RCMP is beginning to see a change of criminals that steal vehicles to commit other crimes or simply to be used as transport, more criminals that begin to register and reinvizes stolen vehicles.
Beydoun said that criminals are beginning to come to Alberta to take advantage of these registration gaps that have been closed in other parts of the country.
“We are seeing that criminals begin to move west. In Ontario … they have pressed their provincial registration system, [so] We see them move west to Alberta. “
“[Ontario is] Making more difficult for people to register fraudulent vehicles, which we wanted to see, “said Beydoun.
“During the past year, we saw a 21 percent decrease in claims for theft in Ontario, while we are not seeing the same decrease or change in Alberta.”
Beydoun said that the Canadian insurance office wants the Alberta government to begin to ban vin cancellation in provincial records, which, according to her, allows criminals to enter an illegitimate vin for a vehicle.
He also recommended that the Alberta government restrict the records of third -party vehicles to the concessionaires alone.
“Until these lagoons close in provincial records, the crisis of theft of cars will only continue to persist and get worse,” said Beydoun.
