London thieves make off with $400,000 worth of artisanal cheese

Scotland Wharf has played a role in many chapters of criminal history, from the investigation of Jack the Ripper to the pioneering fingerprint identification. But a new case on their radar turns out to be perhaps the tastiest of all: the theft of hundreds of premium cheddar cheese wheels worth almost $400,000.

According to According to the Associated Press, London-based Neal’s Yard Dairy fell victim to a scammer posing as a cheese buyer for a French supermarket. The scammer first sent initiated an email inquiry and then a several-month negotiation, always demonstrating a keen knowledge of the cheese sector. The suspect was able to do this under false pretenses separate Neal’s from 22 tons of premium cheddar cheese. Neal agreed to deliver the cheese to a warehouse, where it was later picked up by an unknown person or persons, ensuring a clean escape.

As you may have guessed, the stolen goods were not the processed singles sold in supermarkets. Neal’s varieties include Hafod, Westcombe and Pitchfork. The artisanal cheese comes on fabric-bound wheels and takes between 12 and 18 months to mature properly.

“The process of making that cheese started almost three years ago when we planted seeds for the animals’ feed,” says Tom Calver of Westcombe Dairy told the BBC. “The amount of work that goes into caring for the cows, emphasizing best farming practices and transforming the milk, batch by batch, to produce the best cheese possible is beyond estimation. And for that to be stolen…it’s absolutely terrible.”

The thief – plus any accomplices – has a tough task ahead of them. They’ll have to unload the 22- and 52-pound blocks or else cut the cheese into wedges, a much more tedious prospect.

Patrick Holden, the owner of the farm makes Hafod cheese, told the BBC he suspects the perpetrators will try to withhold the cheese from a foreign market – possibly Russia or the Middle East.

“Because people won’t ask questions there,” Holden said. “I think if they tried to sell it closer to home it would be difficult because the international craft community is very interconnected. If they tried to sell it in North America, where we sell a lot of Hafod, or even in Australia, believe it or not, suspicions would increase because people would ask questions.”

Neal’s is taking the financial hit: The company says it has paid its suppliers, even as the fate of the cheese is up in the air.

In the meantime, the thieves have run out of time to unload the cheese. Unlike stolen art or cash, the loot will only last for the next twelve to eighteen months.

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