Police are investigating what appears to be a sophisticated cargo theft operation after nearly $70,000 worth of products, including tens of thousands of cans of beer, disappeared from a Southern California distribution center in two separate pickups about an hour apart.
The thefts occurred Aug. 17 at the Anheuser-Busch distribution center at 4545 Brooks St. in Montclair, according to the Montclair Police Department.
Investigators said the first incident happened around 10 a.m., when a shipment valued at approximately $45,000 was picked up for delivery to Tucson, Arizona.
It never arrived.
About an hour later, a second shipment containing approximately $25,000 worth of Anheuser-Busch and Pabst Blue Ribbon products was picked up from the same facility, police said.
In that case, a purported subcontracting company submitted fraudulent documentation to arrange the pickup, according to investigators.
Police now believe the two incidents may be connected.
(Instagram: @pabstblueribbon)
“Investigators identified similarities between the two incidents and are investigating whether they were committed as part of the same fraudulent cargo theft operation,” the department said.
Information provided about the trucking company, driver and vehicles involved in the pickups contained discrepancies that detectives are investigating, police added.
The theft has attracted national attention in part because of the sheer volume of beer that vanished.
The Los Angeles Times reported that an original police report detailed 1,602 cases containing 33,984 cans of beer, including 860 cases of 15-packs of 25-ounce Pabst Blue Ribbon cans and 546 cases of 30-packs of 12-ounce PBR cans.
Another 196 cases contained 24-packs of 12-ounce nonalcoholic Old Milwaukee.
Altogether, the shipment weighed roughly 40,000 pounds, including pallets and other packaging materials, the outlet reported.
Pabst has since turned to social media in hopes of generating leads, using the brand’s typically playful tone to draw attention to the theft.
“To the thief: we don’t fault you for wanting to brag to your friends how much PBR you have, we just wish you obtained it the honorable way.
“Pabst is officially starting the clock now, you have exactly 18 days and 44 minutes to return our truckload of beer, no questions asked.
“P.S. this is real and we are deadly serious,” the company wrote in an Aug. 21 Instagram post.
The company has offered a reward for information that helps solve the mystery and recover the missing beer.
“Our tone on social media is fun, and it’s what our customers expect,” Paul Meyers, Pabst’s senior director of integration marketing, told the Los Angeles Times. “It’s sort of at the heart of what you’re seeing and our efforts to bring awareness to this situation.”
The unusual campaign apparently created some confusion about whether the theft itself was genuine, prompting Pabst to later emphasize that the story was real.
Despite some of the company’s social media posts referring to a missing truck or “truckload” of beer, police have clarified that no truck was stolen.
“We are working this case, but no trucks were stolen,” Montclair police said in a statement cited by People. “Just the cargo.”
(Instagram: @pabstblueribbon)
(Instagram: @pabstblueribbon)
Still, an Aug. 24 Instagram post by the company appeared to muddy the waters.
“Beer is getting warmer, trail is getting colder. Clock’s still ticking.
“If you think you saw our truckload of beer, snap a photo and tag us … or DM us with any info on its whereabouts,” the company wrote, though the accompanying image featured the words “MISSING TRUCK” in large red letters.
“It might look like this one … or might not. It’s the one with 40,000 lbs. of PBR in it.”
Pabst, meanwhile, appears to be hoping its lighthearted approach will help draw attention to the investigation.
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“We’ve had a great response so far,” Meyers told the Los Angeles Times, “but, yes, we do want the beer back and eventually doing what it’s meant to be doing, being consumed.”
Police have not identified any suspects or announced any arrests in connection with the thefts.
The combined reported value of the missing cargo is approximately $70,000, according to the Montclair Police Department.
The investigation remains active.
Anyone with information about the incidents, vehicles, driver, delivery company or missing cargo is urged to contact the Montclair Police Department at 909-621-4771.
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