A vintage guitar belonging to Canadian rock band 54-40 has been recovered in Surrey – two years after it was stolen in New Westminster.
In October 2018, seven vintage guitars and an undisclosed amount of equipment belong to 54-40 were stolen from a cube van that was parked overnight outside of Queen’s Park Care Centre. After receiving a tip, New Westminster police located five of the stolen guitars and some equipment at a storage facility in Surrey.
The RCMP’s Upper Fraser Valley Regional Detachment has announced that the band's guitar was among a cache of stolen property located in Surrey. Chilliwack RCMP’s crime reduction unit property crime and Surrey RCMP’s gang enforcement team were engaged in the investigation.
An RCMP press release states that officers seized electronics, jewelry, luggage, key fobs and clothing accessories that had been reported stolen during a Jan. 15 residential break-and-enter in Chilliwack, as well as insurance documents, credit cards, firearms with ammunition, personal documents and electric scooters that had been reported stolen to Chilliwack RCMP between March 2020 and January 2021.
“In total, police recovered an estimated value of over $70,000 of property during the search,” UFVRD spokesperson Cpl. Mike Rail said in a press release. “We understand the importance of every item to the owners; however, a guitar seized during the execution of the search warrant provided an unexpected surprise.”
Chilliwack RCMP identified a Gibson Dove guitar that was seized during the execution of the search warrant in Surrey as the sixth missing instrument belonging to 54-40.
54-40 has been inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame and the B.C. Entertainment Hall of Fame’s Star Walk. The band’s hits include I Go Blind, One Day in Your Life, Sheila, Casual Viewin', One Gun, Ocean Pearl and Love You All.
Following the theft, the band offered a $5,000 reward for the safe return of its stolen equipment and instruments or information leading to their safe return.
"54-40 thanks the public in advance for any assistance solving this crime," said a press release issued after the theft. "The instruments are irreplaceable and hold great value to band members beyond their monetary worth."
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