Arrest in connection with theft of 24 tons of cheddar cheese

LONDON – British police have arrested a man involved in a brazen heist that was not quite on the proportions of an epic bank heist, although the theft involved 24 tons of loot, softer and waxier, relatively hard but also buttery and sharp in taste. taste.

He was arrested in connection with a cheese theft.

The arrest came following an incident that rocked the British artisan cheese scene in late October when rare cheddar worth around $390,000 was stolen from Neal’s Yard Dairy, a leading specialist London cheese retailer.

The Metropolitan Police confirmed in a statement late on Thursday that the arrested man, who was not identified but said to be 63 years old, was being held on suspicion of fraud by false representation and dealing with stolen goods in connection with the case. According to a police spokesperson, the man has been released on bail pending further investigation.

The case of the ‘grater cheese robbery’, such as the British celebrity chef Jamie Oliver called it, began in July when a buyer posing as a wholesaler for a major French retailer ordered 950 “truckles” of Hafod Welsh organic cheddar, Westcombe cheddar and Pitchfork cheddar from Neal’s Yard. A truckle is a cylindrical cheese wheel. They vary in size. They can be covered with wax. The truckles stolen from Neal’s Yard were bound in cloth.

Neal’s Yard shipped the cheese to France in September. The company said it realized it had been defrauded when invoices were not paid and contacts with the fraudulent buyer suddenly became inaccessible.

“We would like to appeal to everyone within our valued community of cheesemongers around the world,” the company said posted on Instagram at the time. “If anyone is offered or receives any cheeses they believe may be linked to this theft, particularly linen-bound Cheddars in 10kg or 24kg sizes with the tags removed, please contact info@nealsyarddairy. co.uk so that we can support the police in their investigation.”

In July, a German police officer was fired for stealing cheddar cheese from an overturned truck while attending a traffic accident. The officer lost an appeal against his dismissal. He denied nibbling the cheddar.