A Langley, B.C. woman has been charged after around 15,000 pieces of stolen mail were found in her apartment building.
In February, the owner of the complex stumbled upon hoards of stolen mail in one of the building's storage lockers, said RCMP in a news release Wednesday. He called police, who ultimately recovered somewhere between 8,000 and 10,000 pieces of stolen property from that room alone.
Forensic investigators found DNA evidence that linked one of the building's tenants to the thefts. A search of her home uncovered around 6,000 more pieces of stolen property, including credit cards, identity cards, computers and cellphones.
Sarah Lea Arnet, 36, has been charged with one count of identity theft.
RCMP Cpl. Holly Marks says the mail's rightful owners are scattered across B.C. from the Interior to the Lower Mainland. She adds that the property has already been sent back to Canada Post for re-distribution.
Metro Vancouver was dubbed the mail theft capital of Canada last year, when there were over 250 break-ins in Langley alone, reported the Province.
Officers say the best way for people to protect themselves from theft is to empty their mailboxes regularly.
"We need everyone to collect your mail daily," said Supt. Murray Power in a release. "If it is not there, it cannot be stolen."
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