Vancouver couple suspected of selling items stolen from retail stores

A Vancouver couple are facing charges for allegedly fencing whitening strips, pills and other goods shoplifted from Portland-area stores.

Yevgeniy A. Smirnov, 34, and his wife Lyudmila Smirnov, age not available, were arrested by police in late May after allegedly buying $750 worth of purportedly stolen items from an undercover investigator working for Safeway’s Organized Retail Crime Department in the Hazel Dell Walmart parking lot.

Records show the Smirnovs, who last reported wages in 2009, grossed $75,000 to $103,000 in the past months through eBay transactions dating back to 2010, according to court documents. Smirnov owns two homes, one vacant property and a 2010 Lexus, the documents said.

After the Smirnovs were arrested, detectives from the Clark County Sheriff’s Office and investigators from Safeway’s retail crime department served a warrant at the Smirnov house. Their garage and office had “numerous amounts of different merchandise” including Crest White Strips, Rogaine and air fresheners, documents say.

Lyudmila Smirnov told police she and her husband had a license to sell the items on eBay and that they were purchased from distributors and stores.

The two were booked in the Clark County Jail on suspicion of first-degree trafficking of stolen property and money laundering. Yevgeniy Smirnov was also booked on suspicion of second-degree possession of stolen property for buying the items from the Safeway investigator.