Edmonton police make arrests in alleged vehicle cloning operation

EDMONTON- Police say three people face charges in an alleged vehicle identification number cloning operation.

Officers uncovered the scheme last week when they searched a home, where they say they found a stolen BMW and Mercedes, as well as cocaine, marijuana and cash.

Cloning involves using the VIN number from a legally registered vehicle to hide the identity of a stolen or salvaged vehicle, typically of the same make, model and year.

The stolen VINs are then used to create ownership documents to register or sell the stolen vehicle.