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Police raid in Surrey recovers vintage guitar stolen from rock band 54-40

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The band 54-40 may go blind with surprise after Chilliwack RCMP found one of their guitars that was stolen in October 2018.

The surprise recovery happened at an RCMP raid in Surrey this January. Police conducted the raid following an investigation into a series of thefts in the Chilliwack area.

The first theft occurred on the evening of January 15th, 2021, with a break and enter at a home in the 47000-block of Mountain Park Drive. Electronic devices and vehicle key fobs were taken from the ransacked home.

A second theft was then committed at the same home on Mountain Park Drive, this time on January 17th. The thieves took a family vehicle which was recovered on the same day by police in the 9400-block of Victor Street, Chilliwack.

Through a cooperative investigation between Chilliwack and Surrey RCMP, police were able to link the theft to a person in the 13700-block of 107A Avenue, Surrey.

RCMP officers executed a search warrant of the Surrey address on January 19th. Two people were arrested and later released.

During the raid, officers recovered electronics, jewellery, luggage, key fobs, clothing accessories reported stolen in the January 15th break and enter.

They also seized insurance documents, credit cards, firearms with ammunition, personal documents, and electric scooters reported stolen to Chilliwack RCMP in a string of incidents from March 2020 to January 2021.

“In total police recovered an estimated value of over $70,000 of property during the search,” says Corporal Mike Rail, spokesperson for the UFVRD.

“We understand the importance of every item to the owners however, a guitar seized during the execution of the search warrant provided an unexpected surprise.”

The guitar in question was one of seven guitars that were stolen from the Vancouver rock band 54-50 in October 2018.

Thieves had broken into the band’s cube van that was parked overnight outside of Queen’s Park Centre, New Westminster. In the initial investigation into the incident, New Westminster Police recovered five of the guitars.

With this new recovery of a Gibson Dove in the Surrey raid, six of seven guitars have now been returned to the band.

The results of the investigation will be forwarded to the BC Prosecution Service for possible criminal charges.

Tim Ford
Tim Ford
Digital staff writer with Victoria Buzz

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