Stolen vehicles discovered at chop-shop

VERNON – Police have uncovered a hoard of stolen vehicles. 

RCMP spokesperson Gord Molendyk says officers executed a search warrant in the 2200 block of Highway 97 in Spallumcheen on Feb. 17 after receiving information about activity on the property.

In a secluded area of the property, police found six F350 pickups between the years of 2003-2009, one 2006 Dodge pickup, two quads, one razor ATV, and a 24 foot travel trailer.

Seven of the vehicles were reported stolen in 2014, and police are checking up on the status of the others.

The property owner wasn’t around at the time and no arrests have been made, though police continue to investigate.

“It would be what I would classify as a chop-shop. The vehicles were in the process of being dismantled,” Molendyk says, adding stolen vehicles may be more valuable for their parts than kept whole.

Not all the vehicles will be returned because ICBC has likely paid most owners out for them.

“They’re not yours because you’ve been paid out for them… They become the property of ICBC,” Molendyk says.

To contact the reporter for this story, email Charlotte Helston at chelston@infotelnews.ca, call (250)309-5230 or tweet @charhelston.