What started as an attempt to purchase a mountain bike in Whistler Village last month ended up with local police uncovering a cache of stolen and altered bank cards, ID, and a stolen U-Haul, according to a release.
At approximately 2 p.m. on May 23, Whistler RCMP got a call from a retail store in the 4200 block of Main Street, which reported that a male and female had just attempted to buy the bike with fraudulent credit cards.
Officers located the suspects at a store nearby, where they were once again trying to make a fraudulent purchase. The man and woman, who hail from outside the Sea to Sky, were then arrested, police said.
Further investigation determined the couple had fraudulently booked a room in a local hotel, which police searched and found various stolen and altered bank cards, credit cards, and identification. Other stolen items included a drone, police said.
The pair also failed to return a rented U-Haul on time several weeks prior. Inside the U-Haul were more credit cards and altered gift cards. A credit card embosser, which police said was likely used to make the fraudulent credit cards that were used in Whistler, was also found.
The suspects have been released with a future court date and now face potential charges of identity theft, identity fraud, fraudulently obtaining lodging, possession of stolen credit cards and possession of stolen property, police said.
“Local business acted quickly and notified the RCMP as soon as they suspected that something was wrong, which provided us the opportunity to locate these suspects,” police said in the release.
Lost canoe looking for its owner
File this one into the slow news category: On May 31, Pemberton RCMP were notified by a resident on Anderson Lake that they had located an abandoned canoe.
“If you believe this may be your lost canoe, please contact Pemberton RCMP with [a] description and we will facilitate its return to you,” police said in a release.
The Pemberton RCMP detachment can be reached 604-894-6634.
