Police in B.C. arrest two for theft of $2.5M worth of stolen vehicles

Two men face more than a dozen charges each after British Columbia's provincial auto crime team recovered 29 high-end vehicles valued at $2.5 million.

RCMP say in a news release that they started their investigation in February when numerous newer-model trucks and SUVs were stolen across the Lower Mainland.

They say the vehicles, including Range Rovers and Toyota Tundras, were allegedly taken using sophisticated technology to get past anti-theft mechanisms.

The two suspects, aged 20 and 29 from Delta, B.C., were arrested last month and face 14 criminal charges, including theft of a motor vehicle over $5,000 and trafficking in stolen property.

The Mounties say they worked with officers in Vancouver, Delta, Langley and at the Canada Border Services Agency in their investigation.

Eugene Lum, the acting officer in charge of the auto crime team, says the owners of newer vehicles sometimes rely on their built-in, anti-theft devices, but criminals are exploiting weaknesses on specific models, taking them without a key fob.