In the early morning hours of May 30th, an alert resident of Belcarra heard a local mailbox being damaged and immediately called police. Thanks to the resident's quick action Coquitlam RCMP were able to respond in time to collect key evidence and identify a suspect.

Over the next several days, the Coquitlam RCMP Prolific Target Team (PTT) located the suspect, observed her activities, found that she was working with a partner, and linked the pair to other fraud-related activities in the region. Working with investigators from Canada Post and the banking sector the PTT definitively linked the pair to a number of other crimes and they were arrested on June 30th.

During the arrest, police seized more than 2,000 pieces of stolen mail, along with credit cards and other identification some of which has been traced to auto thefts, locker break-ins, and thefts from mailboxes throughout the Lower Mainland.

Burnaby residents Clifford Walter HEGGS, 57, and Lorna Colleen RUUD, 43, are facing an array of charges including possession of forged cheques, fraud, possession of stolen mail, possession of credit card data, possession of stolen credit cards and possession of break in tools.

Coquitlam RCMP are grateful for the quick action taken by the initial witness and remind all citizens that reporting crime & suspicious activity is vital to public safety. If you SEE something...SAY something.

For more information on mail security, visit Canada Post online.

Please note that all items recovered at crime scenes are processed as evidence. Details of specific items recovered cannot be disclosed while the investigation is ongoing and items cannot be returned to their rightful owners until the end of the investigation. If your property is among the items recovered, you will be contacted at the conclusion of the investigation to retrieve it.

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Released by

Cst. Brigitte GOGUEN
Coquitlam Detachment
2986 Guildford Way, Coquitlam V3B 7Y5
Office: 604-945-1580
Fax: 604-552-7300
Email: bcrcmp@rcmp-grc.gc.ca