Four individuals were arrested by Athabasca RCMP on Tuesday in connection with a highly organized theft ring that had police seizing as much as $150,000 in items from a rural property in the Forfar area.
Three adult males and one adult female are due to appear in Athabasca Provincial Court next Tuesday to face the more than 70 criminal charges against them.
The arrests are the result of a lengthy, inter-departmental joint effort between Athabasca RCMP, the Edmonton K-Division Emergency Response Team, the RCMP police Dog Service unit, RCMP Air Services and RCMP general duty members from Slave Lake, Westlock, Boyle and Athabasca, according to an Athabasca RCMP press release.
"Several hundred stolen items were recovered including firearms, vehicles, ATV's, household appliances, tools, industrial equipment, electronics and a variety of other stolen goods," read the press release.
The investigation has spanned more than seven years, as the group, which included three adult males and one adult female, was moving across the country and committing theft at random points to avoid being caught, said Cst. Luke Lichty of Athabasca RCMP, the lead investigator on the case.
"The investigation is ongoing and further information will be released as it becomes available.”
See the June 4, 2013 issue of the Athabasca Advocate for the full story.
