EDITOR'S NOTE: the accused people facing charges are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court.
One person is facing charges following a six-month Halton Regional Police investigation into the alleged theft of perfumes, designer clothing and personal hygiene products.
The 1 District Criminal Investigations Bureau and Retail Theft Unit initiated an investigation earlier this year into a number of organized retail thefts that occurred throughout Halton, Peel and Toronto.
On June 25, the investigation wrapped up and resulted in the arrest of Vasile-Ilie Costache, 36, of Scarborough.
He has been charged with:
• Theft under $5,000 (five counts)
• Possession of property obtained by crime over $5000
• Trafficking stolen property.
"An involved storage facility was searched and a significant amount of suspected stolen property was seized," said police in a press release.
"The estimated value of the recovered clothing and perfume is approximately $150,000. Additionally, the Chevrolet Traverse used to commit the alleged thefts was seized by police."
A second suspect was also identified during the investigation and is currently wanted by police.
Anyone with information regarding this investigation is asked to contact the 1 District Criminal Investigations Bureau at 905-825-4777 ext. 2416.
Tips can also be submitted anonymously to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS) or through the website.
