When police asked Evan Casas if he was sure the drums listed for sale online were his, stolen from a storage unit last year, he didn’t hesitate.
“I was 1,000 percent sure,” Casas said. The drums were unique, and he could recognize them anywhere.
The seasoned percussionist had played his custom maple set at hundreds of gigs and recording sessions since a college friend made them 25 years ago. They were created when both he and his friend were freshmen at the University of Southern Maine.
Casas’ unwavering identification led to a dramatic sting operation involving a wire, a secret code word, and the wife’s aunt of his old friend. Although no arrests have been made, Casas has successfully retrieved his drums—his top priority.
The story began in February when a security personnel at the New Gloucester storage facility, where Casas kept his drums and other belongings during his house construction, made an unusual discovery. She reported that the lock on his storage unit was missing.
Upon inspecting the unit, Casas was devastated to find his drums and other items gone.
His college friend, Scott Ciprari, crafted the honey-colored drum set during their time at USM’s Gorham campus. Ciprari later co-founded SJC Drums, which now counts drummers from Dropkick Murphys, Rancid, and Sum 41 among its clients.
“The third kit he ever made was my kit,” Casas said. “It was very special to me — my first real drums.”
Casas filed a police report but didn’t expect to see his drums again.
“I was heartbroken. I was emotionally attached to them,” he said. “I truly mourned them like I would a lost family member.”
While Casas focused on his family and finishing his house, SJC drum enthusiasts took action behind the scenes. Ciprari, active on social media, rallied the 5,000-member SJC Drums Community Facebook group. They scoured Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace, and other online platforms in search of the stolen drums. In December, nearly 10 months after the theft, a member of Ciprari’s extended family located them.
“It was my wife’s aunt who found them,” Ciprari said, still somewhat amazed.
Once Casas was informed, he used his wife’s social media to verify the drums were listed for $1,500, just a town away from where they were stolen.
Rather than purchasing them back outright, Casas contacted the detective handling his case. The detective reassured him that they would recover the drums and proposed a detailed plan, which Casas agreed to.
On New Year’s Eve morning, Casas met two deputies and a plainclothes detective behind a salt shed at a Maine DOT maintenance yard. The detective, with a gun in his waistband and a wireless microphone, joined Casas in the car. The deputies followed discreetly as they headed for the home selling the drums.
“The plan was for me to say, ‘These drums look legit,’ once I confirmed they were mine,” Casas explained. “At that point, the detective would say, ‘Oh, they’re legit, huh, so you want to buy them?’ That was the signal for the deputies to move in.”
Upon entering the house, Casas instantly recognized his drums. His daughter’s pink baby blanket was still inside the bass drum, where he had placed it to dampen the sound. Casas pretended to step outside to fetch money while the deputies arrived.
Police later explained that they didn’t arrest the woman selling the drums because she was acting on behalf of a family member. Casas recalls the seller looking surprised and frightened.
“I felt terrible. I’m a father of daughters,” Casas admitted. “I didn’t want to ruin anyone’s day. I just needed to get my drums back.”
To celebrate their return, Casas’ daughters asked to have their picture taken with the drums. He gladly obliged.
The drums’ original maker was also pleased with their reunion.
“I hope those drums get passed down as a family heirloom,” Ciprari said. “Evan was one of the first to support me. Those drums are very important.”
With his house now complete, Casas plans to keep the drums at home where he can continue playing them.
“They won’t be going back into storage,” he said.
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