What we know about the £300,000 cheese theft from Neal's Yard Dairy
A 63-year-old man has been arrested "on suspicion of fraud by false representation and handling "stolen goods" in relation to the cheddar theft.
A man has been arrested in connection with the theft of more than 22 tonnes of cheese worth over £300,000 from Neal's Yard Dairy.
Police said on Thursday they had arrested a 63-year-old man in connection with the case.
The London-based, artisan cheese retailer and distributor, said last week it delivered more than 950 wheels of cheddar to an alleged fraudster posing as a wholesale distributor for a major French retailer before realising what had happened.
Tom Calver, director of Westcombe Dairy in Westcombe, Somerset, produced some of the stolen cheese and said he was “hugely distressed” when he heard the news calling it a "huge, very difficult loss".
He said his Westcombe Cheddar is aged for 12 to 18 months and said the stolen cheese was produced 15 months ago.
Calver said it would take him half a day to sell one wheel of cheese at a market, with his cheddar retailing for £7 for 250g.
He added: "It is ridiculous – out of all the things to steal in the world – 22 tonnes of cheese?"
What we know
Neal's Yard Dairy confirmed it had delivered 950 wheels of cheddar to the alleged fraudster before realising what had happened.
The wheels included three artisan cheddars, including Hafod Welsh, Westcombe, and Pitchfork.
On Thursday police said they had arrested the 63-year-old "on suspicion of fraud by false representation and handling stolen goods.
They added: "The man was taken to a south London police station where he was questioned. He has since been bailed pending further inquiries. Inquiries remain ongoing."
Neal’s Yard Dairy said it is working with police to identify the perpetrators and also urged cheesemongers around the world to contact them if they suspect they have been sold the stolen cheese, particularly clothbound cheddars in a 10kg or 24kg format with the tags detached.
The cheese specialist confirmed it had still paid the producers so they would not have to bear the cost, "despite the significant financial blow"
The company has since said it has received an “overwhelming” response from the "artisan cheese community standing with us" and promised to carry on "championing British and Irish cheese".
What we don't know
The full details of the theft haven't been made public, but one report suggested the "unusually large" order was made over the phone by a man claiming to be a legitimate buyer.
No detail about the arrested man except his age has been released by the police. We do not know if he was the person allegedly posing as a representative of the French retailer.
According to the Sunday Times, Neal's Yard managing director and co-owner Sarah Stewart said they had asked colleagues in the industry about the purchaser and received good feedback, along with a contract that contained "very convincing information".
We also don't know who is behind the theft. Some reports suggested the heist may have been masterminded by criminals looking to smuggle the cheese into Russia, as luxury foods are difficult to get hold of since Moscow banned imports in response to EU sanctions.
Another unknown is where the stolen cheese will end up, and how the people who took it plan to get rid of it.
Patrick Holden, the maker of Hafod Welsh cheddar, one of the cheeses that were stolen, told The Times he expected the stolen goods to end up in Russia or the Middle East.
“I think if they tried to sell it closer to home they’d find it difficult because the international artisan community is very connected. If they tried to sell it in North America, where we sell a lot of Hafod, or even Australia believe it or not, the balloon would go up because people would ask questions.”
In an Instagram post, Jamie Oliver urged people to be on the lookout for “lorryloads of posh cheese” being sold “for cheap”.
In an Instagram post, the chef wrote: “If anyone hears anything about posh cheese going for cheap, it’s probably some wrong’uns.
"Are they going to unpeel it from the cloth, and cut it and grate it and get rid of it in the fast food industry, in the commercial industry? I don’t know – it feels like a really weird thing to nick.”
Read more
Thieves ransack Peckham food bank forcing open shutters and making off with £3,000 of supplies (London Standard)
Finger-lickin’ fraud! School employee jailed for nine years for stealing $1.5 million worth of chicken wings (The Independent)
Cost of living crisis: Tesco to up security as 'desperate people' turn to shoplifting (Yahoo News UK)
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