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| Photo: The Camera Store |
Earlier this week, we reported on a high-profile burglary at Calgary’s well-known camera shop “The Camera Store”—best known for its popular YouTube channel. Well, thanks to sharp-eyed tipsters and the fast-acting Calgary police, it only took 48 hours from when the store was robbed to catch two suspects and recover most of the stolen gear.
As we reported on Monday, the thieves made away with over $ 27,000 worth of cameras and lenses, including a Hassleblad X1D, three Hasselblad X lenses, and a limited edition Leica M-P Edition Safari. This is the first time The Camera Store has experienced a break-in in over 20 years of business, and owner Julian Ferreira was both upset and determined: offering a $ 3,800 shopping spree “for any information that leads to a conviction.”
Fortunately for Ferreira, he need not have worried too much about the break-in. The same day that the story was spreading like wildfire across the blogosphere, the police were already tracking down the majority of the stolen gear.
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| Photo: The Camera Store |
According to The Calgary Sun and The Camera Store’s own website, once the story went live on local news last weekend, tipsters alerted Calgary police of a Hasselblad X1D and three Hasselblad X lenses that had just been put up for sale on the website Kijiji. Undercover officers responded to the listing, meeting with two men—60-year-old Tan Bui and 36-year-old Justin Ross—at a Calgary mall on Monday afternoon, and taking them both into custody after it was confirmed the camera and lenses ‘for sale’ were the same ones stolen from The Camera Store.
Both men have been charged with possession and trafficking in stolen property, although it is unknown if police believe Bui and Ross are also responsible for the break-in. The $ 10,000 special-edition Leica M-P Edition Safari has not been recovered… at least not yet.
As for that promised shopping spree, The Camera Store writes:
Multiple tips from the public lead Calgary police to the Kijiji listing that helped them recover our equipment and to arrest the two suspects. Once convictions are made, we will contact the person who was first to provide the information to CPS that allowed them to take action quickly, to collect their $ 5000 [CAD] shopping spree reward.
Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
