

Chris Fox, CP24.com





Police say that two men who were arrested following a theft at a North York liquor store last month could be responsible for up to 50 other incidents.

Officers from 32 Division were dispatched to an LCBO near Wilson Avenue and Allen Road on Jan. 16 for a reported theft.

Police say that once on scene the attending officers were able to locate a vehicle occupied by two male suspects thanks to information from a citizen who had followed them outside and took down their licence plate before calling 911.

The suspects were then taken into custody following a vehicle stop and a brief foot pursuit. Police say that they were in possession of $3,800 in alcohol at the time of their arrest.

“We can’t do our job without members of the community and a citizen inside the LCBO witnessed them filling their hockey bags full of alcohol, followed them out, was able to get a licence plate and a vehicle description, called 911 and we happened to have community response officers the area specifically because of the (spike in) LCBO thefts,” Det. Matthew Routh told CP24 on Saturday.

Suspects facing more than 200 charges

Routh said that investigators now believe the suspects are responsible for numerous other thefts from LCBO locations in Scarborough’s 42 and 43 divisions and North York’s 32 Division over the last three months.

He said that the total value of products taken during those thefts exceeds $90,000 but is not likely to be recovered due to the fact that that it has likely already been sold.

He said that the suspects, identified as 25-year-old Dennis James and 31-year-old Nathaniel Snowden, 31, are facing more than 200 combined charges, including 19 stemming from the Jan. 16 theft investigation.

Their arrests come during a time of increased focus on thefts from LCBO locations.

Back in December, the Toronto Star reported about a surge in LCBO thefts. At the time, the newspaper said that statistics indicated that more than 9,000 thefts from LCBO stores have been reported to Toronto police over the last four-and-a-half years, which was the most at any one retail chain over that period of time.

“This is organized crime and we have an appropriate gang crown attorney that has now been assigned (to the case),” Routh said.