Mississauga group stole baby formula to trade for drugs, Peel police say
'Baby formula is so high value that it's being used as a medium for illicit trade': experts
Peel Regional Police have arrested 11 people and laid 33 charges in Mississauga, where baby products were allegedly being exchanged for drugs.
The four-month-long investigation in the Meadowvale area found a group was allegedly stealing high-demand baby products, such as formula, from local retailers and trading them directly for drugs.
Staff Sgt. David Laing said this was likely a "product of opportunity" for the commercial retail theft ring.
"Baby formula is expensive," he said. "So it maybe was an item that was being asked for from the drug trafficker or the network that was receiving the product."
Peel police said in a news release Monday that they recovered and returned over $30,000 of stolen property.
During searches, officers say they seized over half a kilogram of cocaine and a variety of other illicit narcotics.
The 11 individuals were charged with a variety of offences, including theft, possession of property obtained by crime and trafficking in stolen goods.
People in the community saw suspicious activity and contacted police, Const. Jacob Krane said in a YouTube video. Officers then identified the suspects using surveillance footage, police said in the release.
"This is an investigation that really showcased the relationship that Peel police has with our community. Taking their complaints serious right from the forefront, working with our community to build this investigation to hold everyone accountable," Laing said.
Peel police carried out simultaneous search warrants at two primary locations, one where stolen products were stored and one where the drugs were being consumed.
"The identified drug trafficker was selling product and then the individuals buying were attending the second address and presumably using within the residence or on the property," Laing said.
Baby food is valuable: experts
Since the pandemic, parents have watched as prices of baby products, specifically formula, have skyrocketed. At the same time, shortages across the country have left many families feeling hopeless.
It's too expensive for mothers juggling rent, food and work, Allan Gardens Food Bank president Meryl Wharton said.
"They're so thankful when they get diapers or baby food where it's liquid or powdered milk," she said.
Wharton said the food bank saw 61,000 people last year. Of those, five per cent needed baby formula and diapers.
"We're seeing a lot of young mothers with babies," she said.
Theft rings like these further the scarcity and inaccessible cost of baby products, said Toronto Metropolitan University professor Alison Kemper.
"We see parents just utterly desperate because they don't have an alternative and they don't have an alternative to imported products," she said.
The price of baby food for children aged one and older is drastically lower because parents can substitute it with whole milk, Kemper said, but the suspects are definitely not parents.
"They're not getting the formula in order to feed their babies. They're doing it in order to somehow improve their cash flow in a drug market," she said.
Kemper said NAFTA agreements, COVID-19 supply chain issues and the fact that Canada's baby formula supply is solely reliant on the U.S. is problematic.
"Whatever happens with trade agreements impacts the availability and the price of baby formula. If we produce it here, we would be able to ensure that we had a constant supply," she said.
Regardless, this shows how expensive baby products have become, Kemper said.
"It's a very bizarre thing to hear that baby formula is so high value that it's being used as a medium for illicit trade," she said.
"People are willing to break into locks [and] shelving to get it out. They're willing to sort of up the ante and use some more sophisticated theft techniques than normal shoplifters."
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
