Richmond RCMP discover stash of stolen luxury goods

A 42-year-old man has been charged after RCMP discovered what they described as a "sizeable cache" of stolen luxury goods.

Officers first arrested Aaron James Young on Dec. 5, after they saw him allegedly breaking and entering into a residence on Cornwall Street. 

Young was released on bail the next day, but four search warrants were executed at a residence and three commercial storage lockers.

Young was rearrested two weeks later after he was observed allegedly casing residences. Another storage locker was discovered containing more stolen property. 

Cpl. Dennis Hwang said officers recovered a substantial number of stolen items destined for resale: high-end handbags, clothing, shoes, watches, spirits, personal electronics, jewellery, musical instruments, power tools, sporting goods, and several swords. 

Hwang estimated the total value of the goods stolen at more than $800,000.

"I don't think we've ever come across this sheer volume of items, at least linked to one individual," Hwang said. 

Hwang said officers had to painstakingly process and catalog every item, which took weeks to go through. 

It has been difficult connecting the stolen items with their original owners, he said.

"One of the big problems that we have in Richmond is a lot of the items that are stolen, the owners are not here," Hwang said, adding investigators are considering whether homes which appeared vacant were specifically targeted.

"If they encounter a break and enter to their property, the police are at a loss to be able to contact anybody. We are at a loss to be able to get a proper catalogue of the items that were stolen."

Young now faces 15 charges, among them 10 counts for breaking and entering. He is currently in custody and could be subject to more charges.