The province has seized almost $13,000 in cash from a man convicted of an inside-job computer theft from a Langley Best Buy.
In November last year, the Langley RCMP were called out by loss prevention staff at the Best Buy warehouse regarding tens of thousands of dollars of iPhones, iPads, and computers.
A suspect was arrested quickly, said Cpl. Holly Marks, spokesperson for the Langley RCMP.
Officers from the Street Enforcement Unit then took over the investigation, and searched a Port Coquitlam house.
It appears the electronics were being sold on Craigslist. Along with the cash, police found $23,000 worth of electronics that hadn’t yet been sold.
The suspect, Wei-Chun Eric Wang, 23, was charged with theft under $5,000, pleaded guilty, and received a conditional discharge on June 13.
After the conviction, Constables Mike Schnerch, the asset forfeiture coordinator for Langley, and Anders Galasso of the Street Enforcement Unit put together a submission for the Civil Forfeiture Office.
The cash has now been ordered seized by the government.
The money will not stay in Langley directly. Cash and goods – from cars to boats to houses – seized as proceeds of crime is used to fund the Civil Forfeiture Office, and crime prevention programs around the province.