Police reported that tens of thousands of cans of Pabst beer were stolen in two separate heists from a warehouse in Southern California on the same day. The thefts are valued at $70,000, according to infohub.kz.
Pabst Blue Ribbon has turned the incident into a lighthearted social media promotion. However, Montclair police said on Friday that investigators are trying to determine whether the two thefts were part of a single operation.
In the first heist, about $45,000 worth of beer destined for Tucson, Arizona, was picked up but never delivered. An hour later, a "purported subcontracting company" submitted fake documents to pick up another $25,000 worth of beer. Both thefts occurred on August 17 at an Anheuser-Busch distribution center about 65 kilometers east of Los Angeles.
According to a police report obtained by the Los Angeles Times, roughly 34,000 cans of Pabst Blue Ribbon and non-alcoholic Old Milwaukee beer – more than 1,500 cases – were stolen.
In Instagram posts, Pabst put the weight of the stolen cargo at 18,000 kilograms and started a countdown seeking its return. The company wrote: "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." It added, "P.s. this is real and we are deadly serious."