Nine people - including a couple and their father-in-law - have been indicted in Kentucky for stealing whiskey worth up to $100,000 from two renowned distilleries.
The syndicate, which included workers from Buffalo Trace Distillery and Wild Turkey (where the drinks were stolen from), are believed to have been operating since 2008. They allegedly sold the items they stole from the distilleries in the black market for a fraction of their original price.
According to the NY Daily News, authorities have thus far recovered up to 17 barrels of bourbon, one stainless steel barrel of Eagle Rare liquor and several bottles of Poppy Van Winkle from the group.
"You had some rogue employees who took advantage of both the trust of their companies and their knowledge of the security measures to steal barrels and bottles of bourbon from these two distilleries," explained Zachary M. Becker, an assistant Franklin County prosecutor. According to Becker, this case could be related to a famous 'Pappygate' heist in 2013; when up to 65 cases of Pappy Family Reserve 20 Year disappeared from the company's distillery.
The investigation into this case picked up pace last month after barrels of bourbon were recovered from the home of Buffalo Trace Distillery employee Gilbert Thomas Curtsinger. Curtsinger has pleaded not guilty to multiple offenses.
Nonetheless, Franklin Country Sheriff Pat Melton told the Courier-Journal that he believes Curtsinger could be part of a larger group that carried out the "Pappygate" heist.
Besides Curtsinger, and his wife Julie Curtsinger, the others indicted in this case by the grand jury are Ronnie Lee Hubbard, Shawn Ballard, Mark Searcy, Robert McKinney, Dusty Adkins, Joshua Preston and Christopher Preston. Investigators say the group was also involved in trafficking anabolic steroids.
Buffalo Trace Distillery and Wild Turkey have released a joint statement to congratulate the police for their work. The statement also said that both companies are cooperating with the authorities.