44-Man Crew Arrested for Robbery of Over $800,000 of Liquor After Highway Truck Crash

Forty four men were arrested following a liquor robbery worth north of $800,000 (Photo: ZHENYU LUO/Unsplash)

On June 26, the Kempton Express Thembisan reported that a gang of 44 men were arrested following a liquor robbery after they crashed a truck on a highway in South Africa. The liquor inside was valued at R15m ($827,665.)

Officers received information that an armed robbery was taking place at the warehouse within the Kempton Park area and witnessed the 44-man gang loading liquor into trucks. Two trucks that were fully loaded drove off.

“Police gave chase and one of the trucks crashed on the R21 in Kempton Park. The other truck was found in Norkem Park, where one suspect was arrested,” Lieutenant Colonel Mavela Masondo said, according to the Kempton Express.

Officers additionally seized a couple of Volkswagen Polo mini cars that the outlet reported were used in the crime. The suspects will appear in court and are currently charged with business robbery, violating the country’s immigration act and possession of stolen property.

In May, another liquor robbery ended in a truck crash when thieves attempted to steal $20,000 of stolen vodka in Warwickshire, England.

Authorities were notified that two men were acting suspiciously near a vehicle service station. They arrived and the two suspects took off. The police pursued the thieves and later discovered the abandoned vehicle off the side of the road.

The police informed the outlet that “Goodfellas-style gangs” demonstrated a pattern of targeting vehicles parked in these rest stops. The outlet shared that these crimes are professional and often highly organized. The perpetrators often spend quite a bit of time researching their targets and often target shipping trucks.

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