North Vancouver RCMP conducting a traffic stop in lower Lonsdale recently hit the jackpot when they discovered a mobile forgery lab inside a white cube van.
When officers stopped the rental van, the driver gave them identification in someone else's name.
He was arrested for impersonation.
But it turned out, that was just the tip of iceberg.
Inside the van were bags of stolen mail and identification, including passports, driver's licences and social insurance cards, along with sophisticated forgery equipment.
Police also seized bags of identification in the process of being altered as well as completed fake IDs.
There could be as many as 500 people whose identification was stolen and used to create fake ID, according to Corp. Richard De Jong of the North Vancouver RC MP
The stolen identification is believed to have come from break and enters, and thefts from vehicles and mailboxes around the Lower Mainland.
Police also located what they described as a "robbery kit" in the van, including zap straps, a balaclava, pepper spray, handcuffs and knives.
A 27 year-old Surrey resident, Benjamin Best, is in custody.
His next court appearance is scheduled for Feb. 11.
