Chop Blocked: Alta. RCMP recover $550,000 in stolen vehicles from alleged Chestermere chop shop

Chestermere, Alberta — RCMP in southern Alberta located $550,000 to $600,000 in stolen vehicles following the bust of an alleged chop shop near the city of Chestermere.

The Southern Alberta Crime Reduction Unit (SACRU), a regional wing of the RCMP, received a tip from the Calgary Police Service of the possible location of a stolen Toyota 4Runner in rural Chestermere on Dec. 2.

“SACRU attended an address in Rocky View County on Range Road 285 near Highway 1 and observed items on the property that led them to believe the property was being used as a chop shop,” according to a press release from the RCMP.

Police found at the location; eight stolen pickup trucks, two stolen SUVs, a Cat Skid Steer, one flat-deck utility trailer with skid steer attachments, one small utility trailer, one Arctic Cat side-by-side and one Honda quad.

“Two of the vehicles recovered had been chopped and are non-repairable and one pickup had its VIN changed whereby the VIN on the door and dash were replaced with false VIN stickers for a matching vehicle,” the release said.

“The other seven vehicles were found to be in excellent condition. Two of the recovered vehicles were stolen during test drives from Calgary dealerships.”

Charges have yet to be laid and the investigation is still ongoing. There is no indication at this time that the suspect is in any way involved in the Canadian automotive industry.

The press release included a list of recovered vehicles: