Two Port Coquitlam men are facing numerous charges after police busted an elaborate credit card factory, which was heavily protected by a variety of weapons, in Citadel Heights last month.
When Coquitlam RCMP officers executed a search warrant at a home in the 700-block of Capital Court on Feb. 19, they seized:
equipment for creating identity cards and credit cards;
721 pieces of stolen mail from throughout the Lower Mainland;
a loaded handgun confirmed to have been stolen in a break-in at Blueline Sporting Goods in December 2012;
and a shotgun, ammunition and a stockpile of other weapons.
Many of the pieces of mail seen Wednesday included sensitive financial documents, passports and birth certificates.
There was also nearly $11,000 in cash, a variety of drugs and stolen property, including high-end engineering and construction tools, a mountain bike valued at $7,000, a motorcycle, computers and more.
"The reason we are showing these items today is to show the extent to which mail theft has become a crime trend in the Lower Mainland," Cpl. Scott Grimmer of the Prolific Target Team said at a press conference Wednesday morning during which he cautioned people to pick up their mail daily. "You can see from the spin-off weaponry and stolen property that the suspects involved in mail theft will spare no expense to get at your mail."
One of the men facing charges was also the subject of an investigation two years ago.
A search warrant executed on the same Capital Court home in January 2013 revealed a large-scale credit card factory as well as a gun and stolen property from throughout the Lower Mainland.
Alvin Abhai Chand was charged with four weapons and identity theft-related crimes; he pleaded guilty and was sentenced to one year in jail and one year of probation.
Upon his release in early 2014, police said they noticed a spike in criminal activity around his Citadel Heights home, eventually leading officers to target another PoCo man who was arrested on Feb. 11 for allegedly stealing a vehicle as well as other offences.
Items found on the suspect at the time of his arrest included: a large amount of cash; a balaclava, rubber gloves and duct tape; numerous break-in tools; shaved-down vehicle keys; a flash-bang device; and a replica handgun.
Justin Roach, 26, is facing 21 Criminal Code charges including theft, weapons charges, possession of stolen property and possession of a controlled substance.
Chand is now charged with possession of a loaded restricted firearm, possession of another person's identity information for a fraudulent purpose, theft of mail and mischief to a Canada Post box. Police expect more charges to come.
Grimmer said it's early in the current investigation but it appears similar to the 2013 case, in which Chand was the "mastermind" behind an operation that involved trading stolen mail for drugs and other stolen property, and creating numerous fraudulent credit and identity cards.
"What's disconcerting to police is the increased weaponry," Grimmer said of the new investigation.
Investigators also noticed the suspect appears to have grown the operation since 2013, which he managed to do in the short time since his release from prison.
Asked whether the investigation will look into what kind of work Chand might have been doing while behind bars to restart the business, Cpl. Jamie Chung said in an email that police are not at liberty to disclose that information but said, "From our last investigation, we know he's skillful with technology."
Police have also not yet ruled out any links of this "very lucrative business" to violent crimes, Grimmer added.
"The days of losing the cash out of your birthday cards are gone," Grimmer said. "Mail theft now extends into every property crime incident, including violent crime, Lower Mainland-wide."
Investigators have confirmed multiple break-and-enters into homes, businesses and mailboxes in connection with the Citadel Heights factory, noting that neighbourhood was particularly hard hit.
Police reports show the area reported 73 property crimes between Jan. 1 and Feb. 18, or about 10 per week. Since Chand's arrest on Feb. 19, there have been about half as many.
Both Chand and Roach are in custody and were to next appear in court today (Thursday).
