Dozens of stolen vehicles, equipment recovered during warranted searches of Camrose-area properties: police
Some 100 stolen vehicles and pieces of equipment were found when Alberta police searched more than a dozen rural properties south of Edmonton in late November.
In an update on Friday on the massive "property crime" investigation – as police originally called it – the ALERT agency said the stolen property consisted of vehicles, trailers, farming equipment and other machinery.
Police conducted 17 search warrants at addresses in Camrose and the surrounding area on Nov. 21, 2022, as part of a "property crime" investigation. Pictured here is a tractor with writing on it, including the word "elephant." CTV News Edmonton blurred the other information.
"It is like nothing we have ever investigated before," commented ALERT spokesperson Mike Tucker.
Investigators have identified and talked to "several" suspects, but no charges have been laid yet, he told CTV News Edmonton.
More details will be provided when the evidence is catalogued and processed, ALERT promised.
Police conducted 17 search warrants at addresses in Camrose and the surrounding area on Nov. 21, 2022, as part of a "property crime" investigation. In this photo, a tractor is driven onto a trailer.
"We want to get it back to the rightful owners, we just have to practice due diligence in making sure all the evidence is properly documented," Tucker said.
ALERT warned Camrose residents on Nov. 21 it would be conducting search warrants at 17 addresses in the town and surrounding area over a few days.
Tucker called it "one of the biggest takedown operations ALERT has ever conducted," with 170 officers helping execute the warrants.
Police conducted 17 search warrants on Nov. 21, 2022, in Camrose, Alta., and the surrounding area. In this photo, police tape swings in front of A-1 Rentals in Camrose.
On Friday, investigators confirmed most of the locations were in Camrose, but some were in the local county, Ponoka County, and the Rural Municipality of Hillsdale in Saskatchewan. That municipality is located west of North Battleford.
ALERT, or Alberta Law Enforcement Response Teams, is a provincially funded organization that investigates serious and organized crime.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Video of brutal, violent beating of Tyre Nichols leaves many unanswered questions
The nation and the city of Memphis struggled to come to grips Saturday with video showing police pummeling Tyre Nichols -- footage that left many unanswered questions about the traffic stop involving the Black motorist and about other law enforcement officers who stood by as he lay motionless on the pavement.

Health Canada maintains use of COVID prevention drug Evusheld despite FDA pullback
Health Canada says it will continue to recommend COVID-19 prevention drug, Evulsheld, despite U.S. FDA pulling back its emergency use authorization due to concerns around its efficacy against Omicron subvariant 'Kraken.'
W5 EXCLUSIVE | Interviewing a narco hitman: my journey into Mexico's cartel heartland
W5 goes deep into the narco heartland to interview a commander with one of Mexico's most brutal cartels. W5's documentary 'Narco Avocados' airs Saturday at 7 pm on CTV.
OPINION | Selling a home? How to know if you qualify for a capital gains exemption
When selling a home, Canadians may be exempted from paying capital gains tax on a residential property -- if it's their principal residence. On CTVNews.ca, personal finance contributor Christopher Liew explains what's determined as a principal residence, and what properties are eligible for the exemption.
What we know -- and still don't know -- about what led to Tyre Nichols' death
Tyre Nichols was hospitalized after he was pulled over on January 7, police have said. Five Memphis Police Department officers, who also are Black, were fired after an internal investigation and are facing criminal charges, including second-degree murder.
Inflation-focused Pierre Poilievre back to Parliament as health-care talks loom
With a deal under negotiation between Ottawa and provinces, and premiers invited to a meeting with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in early February, the issue remains one where the Tory leader's position appears somewhat murky, including to some inside his own party.
U.S. mass shootings lead to widening divide on state gun policies
Mass shootings have commanded public attention on a disturbingly frequent basis across the U.S., from a supermarket slaying in Buffalo, New York, to an elementary school tragedy in Uvalde, Texas, to a recent shooting at a California dance hall.
Taliban warn women can't take entry exams at universities
The Taliban on Saturday doubled down on their ban on women's education, reinforcing in a message to private universities that Afghan women are barred from taking university entry exams, according to a spokesman.
Tyre Nichols' brutal beating by police shown on video
Memphis authorities released video footage Friday showing Tyre Nichols being beaten by police officers who held the Black motorist down and repeatedly struck him with their fists, boots and batons as he screamed for his mother and pleaded, ''I'm just trying to go home.'