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As Calgary police are confronted with a rise in drug-fuelled crime across the city, one unit of the service is addressing a trend targeting local retailers.

Police say they are seeing an increase in the amount of shoplifting and food theft incidents, including cases where thousands of dollars in high-end grocery items are being sold through organized crime rings.

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Cst. Lara Sampson, who works on organized retail crime cases within the Calgary police Specialized Offender Unit, said the large majority of people behind this kind of large-scale theft are drug users addicted to opiates or other substances.

After making away with over-the-counter medications or high-end food items like tenderloins and lobster tails, hitting up to 10 grocery or drugstores in one day, the suspects are then trading those products for drugs or cash.

With our big opiate crisis that we’re seeing, a lot of these people that are addicted to these drugs are looking to make fast money

“With our big opiate crisis that we’re seeing, a lot of these people that are addicted to these drugs are looking to make fast money and by stealing meat, seafood, baby formula, grocery products, they can turn it around really fast for drugs and cash,” said Sampson.