2024 Has Already Seen Over $800,000 in Booze Stolen From Liquor Stores in This State Alone
The Virginia ABC faced thefts in the first half of the year that amounted to over $800,000. (Photo: Sipa via AP Images)
3,971 bottles of tequila, 1,377 bottles of Hennessy VS Cognac and 593 bottles of Don Julio Tequila Blanco. These are just some of what AXIOS Richmond reports are the stolen inventory from a string of thefts plaguing the Virginia ABC’s liquor stores for the first six months of 2024.
The outlet reported that since January, the Virginia ABC has seen $808,371 of liquor stolen from the state-owned liquor retailer, and the majority of the shoplifting took place at specific stores in the state.
Out of the 14,326 bottles of stolen liquor, the outlet reported that Hennessy VS was shoplifted the most, and Don Julio Tequila Blanco came in second place. Tequila took the lead as the most common category of spirit stolen from the retailer.
The single most expensive bottle stolen was a $559.99 bottle of Clase Azul Tequila Añejo. The cheapest type of liquor stolen was a plethora of flavored liquor bottles for 99 cents.
The outlet reported that 165 accounts of shoplifting took place at two locations in Richmond, Virginia. A store in Manassas lost 228 bottles in one incident alone.
In June, authorities arrested a “crew” consisting of one adult man and three juveniles linked to thefts at the Virginia ABC stores. The crew stole $72,000 worth of liquor from the retailer.
AXIOS reported on another account where a shoplifter apparently stuck several bottles down his pants before leaving the store. He was able to leave undeterred, and other shoppers filmed the incident and teased him.
Yet this recent string of thieves leading to such hefty losses only paints a grim portion of a picture for the Virginia ABC. AXIOS spoke with Virginia ABC Spokesperson Pat Kane, and Kane emphasized that despite the losses, the retailer still made a profit of $695.2 million in liquor sales.
The Virginia ABC also claimed it’s adjusting its surveillance systems and changing the order of operations at its more frequently robbed stores to help cut down on crime. The outlet claimed the frequently robbed Portsmouth and VCU stores will be converted to counter service, making it more challenging for would-be robbers to steal inventory.
It’s been a challenging year for the Virginia ABC in some respects. In March, a whistleblower named Jennifer Burke amended a lawsuit that she filed against the organization amid claims she was facing retaliation from the liquor board.
Burke claims she was unfairly put on leave after she and her colleague, Thomas Aruanno, discovered an estimated amount of $1.7 million in missing inventory from the regulative liquor board. Burke claimed the organization sent enforcement agents to follow her after she filed her lawsuit. The Virginia ABC declined to comment on the ongoing litigation.
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