Law Enforcement in Philadelphia, PA are looking for the person who they said took thousands of bottles of bourbon from a warehouse in what was called a “coordinated cargo theft operation carried out in broad daylight.”
Police said a driver of a tractor-trailer drove up to the warehouse, showed identification, and loaded 18 pallets of Noble Oak bourbon before driving off, The New York Times reported.[1]
Noble Oak Double Oak Bourbon is a 90-proof bourbon finished with sherry oak, giving it a golden chestnut color and a flavor profile that combines honey, ripe cherries, vanilla, warm baking spice, dried fruit, wood, and a lingering cherry note. It is considered an upper-value, accessible premium brand.
The pallets held 10,800 bottles of alcohol, which were supposed to have been sold on the commercial market and were valued at nearly $500,000. One thing missing was a purchase order, which is required as part of the security protocol.
Rob Koch, chief operating officer of Apogee 21 Holdings, the parent company of Noble Oak and A21 Wine & Spirits, told The New York Times, “So the warehouse called the shipping broker, and said, ‘Hey, do you have a truck coming?’ And, of course, the answer was yes.’ And so they just loaded up the 18 pallets and let the guy go.”
Koch said he thinks it was a cybercrime, not an inside job. “Sometimes computer systems get taken over by another company, and what will happen is that they will pose as that company and go and pick up loads and just steal the whole thing,” Koch explained. “And you don’t really know until, well, it’s all gone, right? It doesn’t show up at the destination.” He believes it is one of the largest bourbon thefts he has seen.
Koch said the bourbon may be sold through unauthorized channels, secondary wholesalers or online. “Unless you’ve got a container ship waiting for it, you’re not going to send it anywhere,” he said. “It’s going to stay in the tristate area.”
The company has a photo of the alleged thief and video from the warehouse, but the video mostly shows the truck being loaded by warehouse workers.
The Philadelphia Police Department and the FBI’s Philadelphia office are investigating.
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[1] https://www.newsbreak.com/share/4700597852962-11k-bottles-of-bourbon-valued-at-500-000-stolen-from-warehouse/
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