'Fresh Breath Bandit' hunted following theft of $1,500 worth of chewing gum

Police in Canada are searching for a suspect they've nicknamed the "Fresh Breath Bandit," after an unusual theft from a drugstore in Markham, Ontario. York Regional Police released photos and video on Friday of a man believed to be connected to a robbery at a Shoppers Drug Mart. Officers said the man took a cab to the pharmacy on the evening of Thursday, Dec. 17.



He can be seen on surveillance video walking down several aisles, before stopping in front of a rack of candy. The video shows the man loading several items into a bag. Police said the items are packages of chewing gum. The man can then be seen leaving the store with a garbage bag full of gum. "A few moments later he re-enters the store, fills another garbage bag with chewing gum and walks out again," police said.



It is believed that the man then loaded both bags of gum into a cab and left the scene. The value of the stolen products was $1,528. A Shoppers Drug Mart employee said that the same strange crime happened a year ago, and police said more gum was stolen from a nearby Shoppers the same night as the December theft. It is not known whether the same person is behind all three thefts.


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On Friday, officers said they'd exhausted all leads and decided to release surveillance footage and photos to the public. The man has been described as brown and between the ages of 40 and 50. He is approximately 5-foot-7 with a medium build and a "salt and pepper" beard. At the time of the robbery, he was wearing a black jacket, blue jeans and a blue cap. Anyone with more information is asked to contact police.