Brandon police have a 47-year-old male in custody after he stole more than $11,000 worth of cigarettes while posing as a business employee.
Police say that on October 15, 2019, a man wearing an employee jacket entered the storage area of a Victoria Avenue business while carrying a suitcase. The suspect then proceeded to take 57 cartons of cigarettes and put them in the case.
He then left the building and got into a cab.
Employees became aware of the theft when they found that the storage area had been broken into.
Police say the same suspect is responsible for a similar robbery that happened on August 3, 2019. In that case, a male wearing an employee maintenance uniform made his way into the employee area of a cafeteria at Brandon Regional Health Centre He loaded a rolling cart with what police think were sandwiches, ice cream and beverages. He was able to make it outside the building without being noticed.
Investigator’s identified the suspect and were able to get a search warrant for his home. Police executed the warrant around 11:30 pm on Wednesday, October 16, 2019 and arrested the suspect.
Police were only able to locate four of the stolen cigarette cartons but they also recovered the employee jacket used in the theft.
The suspect is facing charges for his alleged involvement of Break and Enter and Theft over $5000, Theft Under $5000, and Breach OIC Undertaking.
He was detained in custody.
© News4.ca 2020
