Stratford police allege London shoplifter drove across Ontario to pilfer from stores

Police in Stratford, Ont., say three people were charged and more than $100,000 in merchandise was recovered as they completed an investigation into a woman accused of travelling hundreds of kilometres on a daily basis to shoplift.

Police say Project Magnet began when they arrested a woman from London, Ont., in connection to retail theft occurring within city limits.

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Their investigation showed that the 50-year-old woman was allegedly travelling across southern Ontario to take goods from Shoppers Drug Mart, Indigo, Best Buy, SportChek, HomeSense and Staples, as well as other stores.

Police say she was travelling up to 1,000 kilometres a day and would hit between six and 10 stores daily, on average six days per week.

They say search warrants were executed at homes in Oakville and London where the woman’s vehicle and a large quantity of stolen merchandise were seized. The total from the seizures is estimated to be above $100,000.

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Police say Georgia Stavrou, 50, of London, Jason Coish, 44, and Amanda Rich, 42, both from Oakville, are facing numerous charges including trafficking in stolen goods, possession of property obtained by crime for the purpose of trafficking and conspiracy to commit an indictable offence.

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