If you’re looking for Guy Fieri and Sammy Hagar’s Santo Tequila, you might be out of luck thanks to an Oceans 13-level heist that disappeared two truckloads of tequila last week. If only it were George Clooney’s Casamigos, then this would be one meta story.
Sometime between November 9 and November 13, two trucks carrying Santo Tequila’s year-end shipment – a total of 4,040 cases, or 24,240 bottles – were hijacked in Laredo, Texas, shortly after crossing the international border. So how did this extra smooth tequila heist happen?
All evidence thus far indicates that Santo Tequila’s shipping broker accepted a bid by a trucking company set up to steal loads. The “sophisticated criminal enterprise” picked up both trucks and used GPS emulators to spoof tracking software that monitored the trucks as they made their way from Mexico to their East and West coast distributors, according to Dan Butkus, president and CEO of Santo Spirits.
Last December, 19,000 bottles of Hacienda Chactun Tequila were stolen and Butkus said he has heard anecdotally that other, more well-known tequilas have also been targeted, but the thefts were not publicized.
Data analytics from Verisk CargoNet, which is investigating the incident, show that incidents of alcoholic beverage theft are down slightly from 2023. Whereas hard seltzer comprised much of stolen product in the past, this year it’s been almost exclusively hard liquor. (Guess that tracks with market trends?) In California, food and beverage theft has increased by +325% in 2023 compared to 2022 and continues to be one of the highest-impacted commodities.
In an appropriately Hollywood-esque scene, the LAPD spotted one truck being offloaded on the street in a known criminal cargo area in Los Angeles, while the other is still unaccounted for. “It’s unfortunate, but there are unscrupulous small retailers who would market stolen goods,” said Butkus. “In addition, there are individuals who would be more than willing to buy a case of product off the street for a bargain price.”
The company is offering a $10,000 reward for information that helps bring the hijackers to justice. Yet that’s a drop in the bucket compared to the $1 million in total retail value loss during the spirit industry’s busiest season. In addition to regular expressions, the robbers made off with the entire stock of Extra Añejo Single Barrel, which took 39 months to produce. The company is now working with its distillery partner in Mexico to replenish what it can, and working “very closely” with its freight company to enact additional security measures.
While sometimes these situations are unavoidable, Adriana McKinnon, director of logistics and supply chain at Park Street, recommends a few ways to mitigate shipping risks, including always declaring the value of the goods in documentation and ensuring the shipment is insured before departure, as well as understanding what is covered. She also recommends hiring reputable industry experts and forwarding companies to handle cargo logistics.
“Avoid selecting carriers purely on recommendation and costs. It is important to vet service providers to get a full understanding of their service scope and accountability,” she said.
Another tip: communicate carrier information to warehouses as concisely as possible to avoid fictitious pickups and fraudulent cargo re-directions. When shipping from Mexico, understanding what the shipping process entails as well as avoiding skipping steps in the documentation process is crucial, she added.
“Rushing shipments through the border can cause the use of less qualified truckers from within the available carrier network,” she said.