New charges after chop-shop probe finds millions in stolen parts
Three people are facing charges after an Edmonton police investigation into an alleged chop shop turned up millions of dollars worth of stolen vehicles and parts.
On June 6, police executed a search warrant at the now-shuttered business, Car Masters Collision Ltd. at 12837 52 St., on June 6.
Since then, police have sorted through the parts found in the yard and linked them to 141 vehicles reported stolen across Alberta, with a combined value estimated at more than $7 million.
“We believe this was a highly organized chop shop,” Det. Dwayne Karpo of the EPS’s auto theft unit said in a news release. “This was a complex investigation and the EPS used significant internal and external resources to identify all of the vehicle components.”
Three people — including two who were charged in June — are accused of a number of stolen property offences.
Police recovered 159 partial or entire vehicles, including 141 vehicles that had been reported stolen.
Eighty-seven of the vehicles were reported stolen to Edmonton police, six to Calgary police and 68 to RCMP detachments outside Edmonton.
The vehicles recovered included a Bobcat, a trailer, 79 Dodge products, 26 Fords, 13 GMCs and Chevrolets and 19 “miscellaneous” autos. Police also found 20 stolen licence plates at the shop.
Allan McKay, 53, Crystal McKay 35, and Amanda Stepien, 33, have been charged with a variety of offences.
Charges include possession of stolen property over $5,000 (added up for 142 complainants), possession of stolen property under $5,000, possession of property for the purpose of trafficking, altering or removing vehicle identification numbers, fraud over $5,000 and participation in a criminal organization.
Police discovered the facility after stopping a truck with a stolen trailer and unauthorized licence plate near 121 Avenue and 76 Street June 1.