Edmonton police say three people face charges in an alleged vehicle identification number cloning operation.

Police say they uncovered the scheme last week when they searched a home, where they say they found a stolen BMW and Mercedes, as well as cocaine, marijuana and cash.

Cloning involves using the VIN number from a legally registered vehicle to hide the identity of a stolen or salvaged vehicle, typically of the same make, model and year.

The stolen VINs are then used to create ownership documents to register or sell the stolen vehicle.

Lindy Belloc, who is 42, and Idrissa Diarra, who is 38, are charged with numerous counts of possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000 and uttering forged documents.

Alemar Villegas, who is 32, is charged with uttering a forged document.