A Port Coquitlam man will have to hand over $13,000 after pleading guilty to stealing money and electronics from a Langley Best Buy last year.
Langley RCMP were called in November 2013 after the Best Buy warehouse reported an internal theft of several iPhones, iPads and computers. Investigators arrested Wei-Chun Eric Wang, 23, and later searched his PoCo home.
They determined the products, valued at about $23,000, were being sold on Craigslist and more than $12,000 in cash was seized during the search. The stolen property was later returned to Best Buy.
Wang pleaded guilty to theft under $5,000 and received a conditional discharge in June.
Langley RCMP also prepared a referral submission for consideration under the province's civil forfeiture law; in late July $13,000 in cash was ordered to be forfeited.
The civil forfeiture office is self-funded and relies on revenues from successful forfeiture. Part of the money is used to fund crime prevention efforts; since the program began about $15 million has been distributed among crime prevention programs and victims in B.C.
