B.C. men arrested after pallets of stolen toilet paper, beer and food recovered

Authorities say three men face potential charges of theft over $5,000, possession of property obtained by crime, and trafficking in property obtained by crime. (Handout)

Three men in Metro Vancouver are facing possible criminal charges after several shipping containers filled with toilet paper, food, paper towel and beer were stolen and later recovered, police say.

The Burnaby RCMP says its prolific-offender suppression team opened an investigation after three shipping containers carrying $125,000 worth of merchandise were reported stolen on Aug. 6, 2024.

The containers, which were allegedly taken from a business in the 7900 block of North Fraser Way, were later found empty, along with several other shipping containers, at a property in Port Coquitlam, police said in a news release Thursday.

While the investigation continued, another shipping container was reported stolen from the same business on Nov. 29, 2024. The container held approximately $60,000 in merchandise, police said.

Evidence led investigators to execute a search warrant at a storage warehouse in Surrey, where police seized a semi-truck, a forklift, 51 pallets of toilet paper, 42 pallets of paper towel, five pallets of food and two pallets of beer, according to the release.

Further searches of three residences in March led to the arrest of three men – a 40-year-old from Richmond, a 54-year-old from Surrey and a 48-year-old from New Westminster.

Authorities say the men face potential charges of theft over $5,000, possession of property obtained by crime, and trafficking in property obtained by crime.

“These large-scale thefts have a negative impact on the community, as a whole, and not just the initial victim of the crime,” Cpl. Mike Kalanj said in the release.

“Hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of goods were stolen and as a result of this investigation a good portion of that was returned to the rightful owner.”