Photo: CTV

Brick by brick, police have built a successful case around a man who trafficked in stolen Lego.

Henry Bennett Smith, 31, of Langley, pleaded guilty to a variety of charges, including trafficking in stolen property. He was sentenced Thursday to a two-year conditional sentence and 145 days in jail.

Smith was initially arrested in the fall as part of a guns and drugs investigation, said an RCMP release. After executing a search warrant, police found a large amount of Lego in his home.

RCMP Sgt. Ravinder Pawar said there had been more than 20 complaints related to Lego theft in Langley since September 2015. Police started to put two and two together.

After months of investigation, police eventually connected Smith to a rented storage locker. A search turned up the many, many missing pieces in the case.

"Over 50 plastic totes full of new Lego was located and Smith was arrested the following day when he attended the storage facility," Pawar's statement said.

Police also found sports collectibles, expensive toys, cosmetics and clothing. The items seized were valued at more than $120,000.

– with files from CTV Vancouver