Thieves steal 15,000 pounds of steel tubing from Red Deer business

Red Deer RCMP say those who stole large amounts heavy steel tubing last weekend couldn’t have done it without a lot of help.

A break-in to Alberta Industrial Metals, located at 4821 78 Street, was discovered and reported on May 8, after having occurred sometime over the weekend.

Police say thieves broke into the locked compound and stole three bundles of square steel tubing weighing around 15,000 pounds and valued at over $9,000. They add one bundle contained 5” x 3” tubing that is 3/16 of an inch thick, 48 feet long, and weighs approximately 5,440 pounds. The other two bundles contained 2” x 2” tubing that is 1/8 of an inch thick and 24 feet long, with a combined weight of approximately 9,400 pounds.

RCMP believe the thieves would have needed a large truck with a three-ton deck or a large truck with a trailer to transport these heavy materials. They hope the public can assist in identifying any suspicious activity regarding vehicles of that type in the area over the May 6 weekend, or suspicious sales offers or purchases of the steel tubing described here.

“This type of theft is so specialized, and requires heavy duty equipment to move, so it’s likely the thieves had a specific client or market in mind for the tubing,” says Corporal Karyn Kay. “RCMP want to remind the public that the purchase of any item, large or small, that they believe is stolen property is a crime. If you buy stolen property, you’re harming your community as a whole – you’re rewarding criminal activity and contributing to a spiral of increased property theft and other crimes that are linked to it, including stolen vehicles, drugs, weapons and violent crimes.”

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If you have information about this investigation, contact the Red Deer RCMP at 403-343-5575, or contact your local police detachment. If you wish to remain anonymous, call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or report it online at www.tipsubmit.com. If your information leads to an arrest, you could be eligible for a cash reward up to $2,000.