Police on Vancouver Island may be dealing with a serial cigarette thief, and it looks like those buying in bulk from the local Costco are the target.
There have been several incidents where store owners have been followed back to their stores where they unload the cigarettes only to return minutes later to find them gone.
The latest theft happened Friday in Saanich where more than $ 6,000 worth were pinched.
“This could have been a crime of opportunity, but the timelines are so tight and the circumstances are so similar the other cases that we’re definitely going to be speaking with the RCMP up there,” says Saanich Staff Sgt. Scott Treble, adding police have also been in touch with Costco.