Burnaby RCMP officers uncovered tens of thousands of dollars in stolen sunglasses and other eyewear while executing a search warrant on a residence in an unrelated investigation on November 17.The Investigative Support Team (IST) seized eight boxes containing more than 100 items, many still bearing store tags. Some tags allowed police to trace the items to several businesses across the Lower Mainland. Officers also found roughly 5 grams of a powdered drug, believed to be fentanyl, mixed in with the eyewear.“Criminals are going to criminal,” said Cpl. Mike Kalanj. “When investigating crime, police often discover other crimes being committed by the same individuals.”.Authorities are working to return as many of the stolen items as possible to their rightful owners. While the full value of the eyewear is unknown, one pair was tagged at $1,140 and many others were listed at several hundred dollars.Kalanj also warned of the potential danger to unsuspecting buyers. “What’s also concerning is if they were selling these items on the side, some unsuspecting victim could have unknowingly been contaminated by illicit drugs.”No further details were released.
