Prison sentence handed down in case involving $3.1M in stolen equipment

Police conducted 17 search warrants at addresses in Camrose and the surrounding area on Nov. 21, 2022, as part of a "property crime" investigation. Pictured here is a tractor with writing on it, including the word "elephant." CTV News Edmonton blurred the other information.

One of the people charged in Operation Elephant, a theft case in the Camrose area involving $3.1 million in farm and construction equipment, has been sentenced to three-and-a-half years in prison.

Jeffrey Roblin, 39, pleaded guilty to possession of property obtained by crime and trafficking in property obtained by crime.

A number of other charges, including possession of stolen property, laundering proceeds of crime, and conspiracy to commit an indictable offence were withdrawn.

The stolen equipment included tractors, loaders, trailers, and excavators, as well as vehicles like RVs, boats, and quads.

At the time of Roblin’s arrest, police said the equipment had been used for profit in a rental business, a meat business, and a Saskatchewan hunt farm.

Gaye Turnbull, who police say owned most of those businesses, is scheduled for trial in April 2027.