Metropolitan Police arrested the 63-year-old man on suspicion of fraud by false representation and handling stolen goods.
In the end it may have just been too much cheddar to make a clean getaway.
A 63-year-old man has been arrested after more than 24 tons of artisanal cheese from one of Britain’s most famous dairy companies was stolen, authorities said.
The man was detained on suspicion of fraud by false representation and handling stolen goods. He was taken to a south London police station, where he was questioned, and has since been released on bail pending further inquiries, a spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police said.
The cheese, worth over $390,000, was taken from London cheese specialist Neal’s Yard Dairy on Oct. 21, the company said on Instagram.
In an update to the post’s caption Wednesday, the company added: “On 30th October, we learned that the Metropolitan Police made an arrest in connection with the theft. We are grateful for the progress they have made, and we will continue to support their investigation in any way we can.”
A fraudulent buyer posing as a wholesale distributor for a major French retailer nabbed the 950 wheels of cloth-wrapped artisanal cheddar, the company said. Every wheel of cheese had been delivered before it realized it had been scammed.
Three cheeses from three different suppliers were stolen: Hafod Welsh organic cheddar, Westcombe cheddar and Pitchfork cheddar. Neal’s Yard Dairy said that “despite the significant financial blow,” it has paid each of its artisan cheesemakers in full for its products.
Tom Calver of Westcombe said in a video on Instagram that “it was a hoax — it was theft, it was fraud.” Behind him were rows of empty shelves in the dairy, showcasing how much cheese was taken.