Couple reunited with belongings after U-Haul theft; police find $250,000 worth of stolen items

ABBOTSFORD (NEWS 1130) – A couple on a cross-Canada move to Vancouver, left with almost nothing after a U-Haul carrying their belongings was stolen, have been reunited with their items.

The case has also led police to the recovery of $250,000 worth of stolen items.

On September 12, a moving truck that was hauling the couple’s belongings from Moncton, New Brunswick to Vancouver was stolen from a Park and Ride in Abbotsford. The U-Haul contained furniture, clothes, and kitchen appliances. It was later recovered, but was empty.

The Lower Mainland District Integrated Road Safety Unit (IRSU) got involved, specifically because of where the moving van was found in South Surrey. Police say a person was on their radar for driving offenses, and a home was also pegged as a possible place where stolen items were being kept.

On Thursday, police arrested Michael Urbaniuk. The 39-year-old was in a stolen car on 4 Avenue at 172 Street. He’s been charged with several offenses, including possession of stolen property.

After gathering more evidence, officers were able to get a warrant to search a home the next day.

“Amazingly, that search warrant yielded the recovery of 12 stolen vehicles, as well as the contents of two stolen U-Haul trucks — one being from Abbotsford, the other from Surrey. The estimate for the total value of the recovery is a quarter of a million dollars,” says Abbotsford Police Constable Ian MacDonald.

IRSU, Surrey RCMP’s Crime Reduction Unit, as well as Police Helicopter Air 1 were involved in the bust. On the property, they found 12 stolen vehicles. They also found the items that were in the couple’s U-Haul, as well as those of another moving truck.

“To be able to get them back their property of just days of that news release going out shows a high degree of awareness on the part of not just the media and the public, but also by police. I know they were very happy on Friday when they started to be reunified with some of their possessions,” says MacDonald.

But he adds some very sentimental items are still missing. “Unfortunately, some of those items are… those irreplaceable keepsakes like wedding memorabilia.”

He says this was a “hotbed of criminal activity.”

“We’re talking about an absolute hornet’s nest, as a property that was used [for] crime. And certainly, from the standpoint of police, we believe this man didn’t act alone. Numerous other individuals were checked on the property, and that’s part of an ongoing investigation by Surrey RCMP at this point in time,” explains MacDonald.

“It’s one or two or a small number of individuals who absolutely wreak havoc, as far as crime is concerned, either on a community or in this case multiple communities. When we start to piece out all of those stolen vehicles, they come from all parts of the Lower Mainland. I would say as far east as Abbotsford and as far west as Richmond,” says MacDonald.

Abbotsford Police are also thanking members of the public who heard about the couple’s misfortune last week and stepped up to help.

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