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A 38-year-old man on probation for LCBO theft is now accused of stealing more than $250,000 in booze from liquor stores in and around Peel Region since last fall.

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Peel Regional Police say Awil Hassan Abdi, who had been sought since investigators identified him as a suspect in as many as 90 liquor store thefts two weeks ago, was arrested Sunday with help from the LCBO Resource Protection Team.

“Abdi is believed to be responsible for LCBO thefts totaling nearly $260,000, of which $160,000 is from within the Region of Peel,” police said in a statement released Wednesday, explaining the string of alleged thefts occurred between October 2023 and September 2024.

Abdi is charged with three counts of theft over $5,000, 16 counts of theft under $5,000 and one count of breach of probation.

The accused, who has no fixed address, was held for a bail hearing in Brampton and it’s unclear if he has since been released.

“Abdi was on a probation order for similar theft and robbery-related offences at the time the crimes were committed,” police said.

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Shoplifting at LCBO stores began spiralling out of control back in 2018 as understaffed police services made theft under $5,000 a low priority and employees were told not to stop thieves because it may endanger themselves or customers.

In November 2019, the LCBO claimed it’s annual losses due to shoplifting were “consistently under $6 million in retail dollars” over the preceding five years. At the time, the Crown corporation also blamed the rise in liquor thefts on “increased media attention.”

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However, increased security measures and policing efforts have led to numerous arrests for LCBO store thefts in recent years.

Anyone with information regarding this investigation is urged to call police at 905-453-2121, ext. 1233, or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).

cdoucette@postmedia.com

@sundoucette

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