Police are investigating the theft of $1 million worth of Guy Fieri and former Van Halen singer Sammy Hagar’s Santo tequila.
The trucks, carrying over 4,000 cases of Blanco and Reposado tequilas, as well as the rare Extra Añejo Single Barrel, were reportedly stolen in what appears to be a targeted heist, the San Francisco Chronicle. A representative for 77-year-old Hagar informed the newspaper of the theft.
Forbes reports that the theft has left the brand out of stock during its holiday sales season, which accounts for 35% of its revenue. Dan Butkus, Santo’s president, stated that the brand is working with its independent distiller to replenish stock, but it could take up to 40 days to restock. However, the Extra Añejo Single Barrel, which took 39 months to create, may take up to two years to replace.
However, the Extra Añejo Single Barrel reportedly took 39 months to create and could require up to 2 years to replenish.
The thieves allegedly posed as a legitimate trucking company and used GPS spoofing technology to disappear with the trucks. One truck was traced to Los Angeles, where it was offloaded, but the other one remains missing. Even if the bottles were to be recovered, the stolen tequila can’t be legally sold due to federal regulations that require alcohol products to remain in control from producer to consumer.
"The last thing we would ever want to do is put our fans at risk while drinking our tequila," Butkus told Forbes. "Once the load was hijacked, we lost control, and who knows if the product has been tampered with now? Even if we recover it, we will write it off; that's the right thing to do."
"For a growing company like Santo, it's really a shame for something like this to happen in the middle of our strongest year to date and right before the holidays,” Hagar told Forbes. “Anyone who knows business knows this is a gigantic setback for any independently-owned company in a hugely competitive market.”
He continued, “But Guy and I are not the type to sit back and whine over spilled tequila. Our distillery is working day and night right now to replace as much stock as we can. Most of all, we're glad that nobody was hurt. We count our blessings and wish everyone out there a happy holiday season with family and friends."
Santo is offering a $10,000 reward to whoever can help them discover who was behind the heist.