West Shore RCMP officers arrested a pair of alleged chronic shoplifters after several incidents since the beginning of the year.
Police investigated four reports of shoplifting all involving the same two suspects between January and March 2023 at the Walmart located at the 860 Langford Parkway.
In each incident, the suspects loaded up hundreds of dollars worth of merchandise and left the store without paying, according to police.
The latest incident took place on March 1 and police were called while the suspects were still in the Walmart parking lot pushing a cart full of unpaid items toward their vehicle.
Officers located and arrested the suspects, recovering approximately $1,000 worth of stolen merchandise in the car.
Officers searched the suspect’s vehicle. More than two ounces of drugs suspected to be a combination of cocaine and methamphetamine were seized.
A 50-year-old woman and 58-year-old man were arrested for multiple counts of theft under $5,000 and were released on an undertaking with an upcoming court date in May.
The investigation is ongoing and drug charges are also being considered.
West Shore RCMP investigated 514 reports of shoplifting under $5,000 from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31, 2023, That’s compared to 400 for the same period last year, for a 29-per-cent increase in shoplifting.
The Crime Reduction Unit continues to focus its efforts on addressing shoplifting in the Westshore.
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