The Alberta RCMP Auto Theft Unit has laid nearly 100 charges in connection with a sophisticated vehicle theft operation that used fraudulent VINs to disguise stolen vehicles, some of which were recovered overseas.The investigation began in December 2024 and uncovered a scheme in which suspects exploited Alberta Registries’ Third-Party Authorization System to register stolen vehicles under unsuspecting individuals' names. The fraudulent documents were used to re-VIN the stolen cars, concealing their origin and making them appear legitimate.Police have so far recovered about $1.9 million in stolen vehicles across Canada and internationally. Investigators are still searching for more than 150 vehicles, with 30 directly linked to the accused.Search warrants were executed in Edmonton with help from the Central Alberta District Crime Reduction Unit, St. Albert RCMP Crime Reduction Unit, and Edmonton Police Service. Seven people now face a total of 99 charges.Drugs and cash were also seized, including over 1 kg of cocaine, more than 200 Oxycontin pills, and nearly $10,000 in cash.Those charged include Mohamed Hajar, 40, of Edmonton, who faces multiple counts of uttering forged documents, fraud, possession of identity documents, and charges related to organized crime and drug trafficking. Ryan Garford, 40, Sean Broyles, 37, and Yuvraj Dhillon, 22 — also of Edmonton — face various fraud and forgery-related charges. All are scheduled to appear in court on July 29.Arrest warrants have been issued for Zachary Frazer, 34, of Edmonton; Loranne Smith, 56, of High River; and Darlene Noel, 61, also of High River.RCMP say the Third-Party Authorization process within Alberta Registries has been a major vulnerability exploited by organized crime. The Auto Theft Unit is now working with Service Alberta to improve security in the system.“Between January and June the Alberta RCMP have seen a continuous drop in auto thefts 4 years in a row with the highest drop this year of 18%,” said Staff Sgt. Luke Halvorson of the Community Safety Unit. “That equates to almost 1,000 fewer vehicles stolen by this time of the year when compared to 2022.”
