Mounties say the cases of porch piracy involved drivers making deliveries for the online retailer Amazon between September and late November.
Police say the company proactively identified the possible thefts and notified RCMP in Burnaby, B.C., prompting officers to search the suspects’ homes, where they found as many as 32 stolen packages at one location worth approximately $2,200.
The stolen items ranged from a $35 Apple AirTag tracking device to a men’s watch valued at more than $600.
Police say the three men in their 20s were arrested and the RCMP have sent details to the B.C. Prosecution Service for consideration of charges.
According to the Mounties, two of the suspects are residents of Vancouver and one is a resident of Surrey.
They say there is nothing to indicate the cases are linked at this stage of the investigation.
In each case, police credit Amazon, which has a warehouse in Burnaby, for identifying possible thefts and contacting Burnaby RCMP to report them.
“It is unusual to see these types of thefts, let alone a pattern of separate incidents, as safeguards and security measures put in place by these types of businesses are often an effective deterrent,” said Cpl. Mike Kalanj with the Burnaby RCMP.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 14, 2023.
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