Items linked to 16 separate thefts in Parkland County, Wetaskiwin County, Fort Saskatchewan, Leduc County, Ponoka and Edmonton.
On Feb. 11, multiple police units executed a search warrant at a property on range road 254 in Wetaskiwin County, recovering more than $1 million worth of stolen items.
On Jan. 20 and 26, Breton/Thorsby RCMP Detachment received reports of a stolen excavator and bulldozer from a property in Brazeau County. Later, police received information of a possible location where the items may be located. Utilizing a drone, RCMP confirmed the items being on the property.
On Feb. 11, 2026, as a result of the investigation, Breton/Thorsby RCMP and the Central Alberta District Crime Reduction Unit with assistance from the Alberta RCMP Auto Theft Unit, Wetaskiwin Detachment and Crime Reduction Units executed a search warrant at a property on range road 254 in Wetaskiwin County.
As a result of the search, police recovered stolen items including:
- 3 semi tractors;
- 7 trailers;
- a skid steer;
- 2 tractors,
- a sea can that had contained a significant amount of industrial hosing ($175,000);
- a vehicle; and
- numerous pieces of machinery.
These items were linked to 16 separate theft occurrences from numerous RCMP jurisdictions including Parkland County, Wetaskiwin County, Fort Saskatchewan, Leduc County, and Ponoka. Two occurrences were linked to thefts in Edmonton.
While executing the search warrant, officers arrested four individuals at the property.
Richard Joseph Zukowski has been charged with 14 counts of possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000.
Zukowski was taken before a Justice of the Peace and remanded into custody for future court dates, at the Alberta Court of Justice in Wetaskiwin.
The other arrested suspects have been released pending further investigation.
“This is yet another example of the harm that a small group of prolific offenders can cause,” says Sgt. Kelly Kraal of CAD CRU. “Having a dedicated group of investigators both trained and equipped to focus all available efforts on these types of offenders has a overall effect of dropping crime rates.”
