Officers bust St. Albert auto theft and re-VINing operation

An EPS cruiser is seen in this file photo taken on July 31, 2022 (CTV News Edmonton/Matt Marshall).

Area police officers have recovered 23 stolen vehicles after an auto theft and re-VINing operation was uncovered in St. Albert.

The theft of a 2022 Ford Expedition led police, who traced its last known GPS location, to a fenced compound in St. Albert, where officers observed "several" newer vehicles and shipping containers.

In May, officers performed a search of the compound with the assistance of the RCMP Auto Theft Unit and the Équité Association — an independent Canadian organization helping law enforcement agencies to identify criminal organizations and those involved in fraud.

Nineteen stolen vehicles were recovered at the site, some of which had falsified vehicle identification numbers (VIN).

Investigators also seized additional false VIN labels and materials that led police to recover four other stolen vehicles in shipping containers waiting to be shipped overseas at the Port of Montreal.

According to the Edmonton Police Service, the total value of the 23 recovered vehicles was around $1.1 million — with some stolen from rental companies using fraudulent ID.

On Thursday, police say Alain Damen, 33, turned himself into police and faces several charges, including 18 counts of possession of stolen property over $5,000, five counts of fraudulent concealment, and six counts of altering or removing vehicle VINs.

"The victims affected by this operation included everyone from private citizens whose vehicles were stolen from their garages to insurance companies whose vehicles were fraudulently rented," said Sgt. Ian Strom, with the EPS TRAP team.

"We are just scraping the surface with these recoveries, and are continuing to investigate other locations connected to the accused."