Government targets alleged prolific Downtown Eastside stolen-goods trader
Credit to Author: David Carrigg| Date: Tue, 03 Sep 2019 00:39:46 +0000
One hundred and forty one computers, 43 Apple watches and 65 cameras were among a shocking list of allegedly stolen items the B.C. government is seeking from a well-known Downtown Eastside broker as part of a civil forfeiture claim.
According to the civil forfeiture claim filed in the Supreme Court of B.C., Aaron Castillo-Anguiano was caught in a sting set up by Vancouver police and executed on March 1, 2019, when they raided an apartment at 5550 Taylor Street that he occupied.
Inside, police found 309 items of allegedly stolen property and proceeds of crime that also included over $17,000 in cash, four drones, 50 items of jewelry, 35 bottles of liquor and 14 items of high-end clothing.
According to the claim, Castillo-Anguiano had been on the police radar since July 2016 when he was found selling cigarettes in the Downtown Eastside. Over the next three years, police say they recovered stolen property from him on four occasions.
On Jan 30, 2019, police received a tip that he was again buying and selling high-end stolen property and a sting was commenced.
In February of this year, undercover Vancouver police officers sold Castillo-Anguiano “merchandise held out as stolen for significantly below retail value on five separate occasions”, according to the court claim. He then asked those officers to bring specific stolen items for him to purchase. Castillo-Anguiano was observed taking those items to the apartment on Taylor Street.
A search warrant was executed on March 1, 2019, where the allegedly stolen property was recovered and Castillo-Anguiano was charged with possession of stolen property and counselling summary offence not committed (related to his allegedly asking the undercover officers to acquire stolen goods for him). The following month Castillo-Anguiano was arrested for breaching a court order. He has appeared in provincial court three times since being charged and is due to appear again on Nov. 4, 2019.
The Civil Forfeiture Act became law in B.C. in 2006 in a bid to prevent people benefiting from unlawful activity.
According to this claim, the property “has been used to engage in unlawful activities”, including possession of stolen property, possession of proceeds of crime, trafficking in property obtained by crime, counselling a crime not yet committed and failure to declare taxable income.
It was not known at deadline whether Castillo-Anguiano had responded to the civil claim.