Laval: Two lock thieves have been charged

An industry criminal has been jailed again for plotting with a friend in Laval to steal nearly 300 electronic locks.

“At the rate they were going, it was a full-time job for them,” a police source said.

Christos Cideris was arrested on Feb. 23 while selling stolen electronic door locks.

The 61-year-old has criminal records including sexual assault, theft, assault, dangerous driving, intimidation, mischief and intent to commit a felony.

His co-defendant, Mildiadis Cerocias, is 60 years old and a former lawyer.

Two people, this time, have been charged with theft and receiving. Sideris is pending further action, while Keracias has been released on parole.

Both have been on the radar of investigators since last July, when complaints came in that electronic locks had been stolen from a known hardware store in the city.

Less than five minutes

The procedure of the two suspects is simple: they park their vehicle, enter the branch and go straight to the locker room.

They will slip in at least one bag or their line and then leave the store immediately. Within five minutes, the crime was over.

According to the police, this maneuver can be done several times a day, almost daily.

What’s more, thieves sell almost exclusively selected Weiser brand electronic locks for $ 200 to $ 350.

In total, officers seized 73 locks from a junk store, valued at more than $ 15,000. But in reality, individuals would have stolen 292 of them, which would have been more than $ 60,000, according to Laval Police.

Investigators have reason to believe that the two may have committed other thefts in Laval, Montreal, South Coast and North Coast.

So they invite hardware store owners to check their inventory and view images from their surveillance cameras.

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