Man Fieri and Sammy Hagar’s tequila enterprise took a serious hit after two of their freight vehicles carrying $1 million in merchandise had been stolen.
The celeb chef, 56, and the previous Van Halen singer, 77, are the co-owners of the tequila model Santo Spirits. A consultant for Hagar informed Fox Information Digital that the vehicles had been hijacked over the weekend of Nov. 9 in Laredo, Texas.
The lacking vehicles had been carrying 24,240 bottles of Santo Blanco and Reposado in addition to a specifically made Additional Añejo, which was created over the course of 39 months.
Hagar’s rep mentioned “it appears this was an organized crime effort where the trucks were illegally double brokered to different carriers who transferred the product to their trucks” after they crossed over the border from Mexico to Texas.
Man Fieri and Sammy Hagar’s tequila model Santo Spirits suffered a blow after two of its vehicles had been hijacked. (Getty)
“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 mentioned in a press release to Fox Information Digital.
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“Anyone that knows business knows that this is a huge setback for any company in a hugely competitive market,” the “I Can’t Drive 55” rocker added. “But Guy and I will survive. Most of all, we’re glad that nobody was hurt during this crime.”
In an interview with Folks Journal, Fieri mentioned that he and Hagar realized of the heist on Nov. 14.
“We’ve worked so hard,” the Meals Community star mentioned. “This is our best year we’ve ever had in Santo. We just had all this momentum, and now whatever’s on the shelf is all people are going to get.”
The vehicles had been loaded with $1 million price of tequila. (Denise Truscello/WireImag)
Fieri informed Those who employees at their Mexican distillery had been “on a 24/7 schedule right now” to switch the stolen tequila.
Nonetheless, Fieri mentioned that it was unlikely that they might have the ability to absolutely replenish their tequila provide in time for the vacations, throughout which Santos Spirits sometimes sees its highest quantity of gross sales.
The “Ultimate Recipe Showdown” alum informed Those who “someone could be trying to break the momentum” that their tequila enterprise had gained within the market.
Fieri additionally expressed his shock that two vehicles had been focused by the thieves.
“I mean, one is one. But now you’ve got to have double the amount of people to pull off the double heist,” Fieri mentioned. “It just seems so much riskier to take two trucks.”
Hagar mentioned it was a “huge setback” for the corporate through the busy vacation season. ( Ethan Miller/Getty Photographs for Los Santos: Santo Puro Mezquila)
Santo Spirits president Dan Butkus informed Those who he was nervous about how the theft of the whole 440 circumstances of tequila would impression their distillery and their workers.
“Our distiller is an independent distiller who’s dependent on our sales for his livelihood and that of his team,” Butkus mentioned. “My sales team, my marketing team, the entire Santo Spirits team is dependent upon these sales.
“That is kind of the piece that is most hurtful to me,” he added. “We have to help these individuals each on the distillery and within the U.S., and we won’t do it proper now with out the income from these circumstances.”
Fieri has offered a $10,000 reward to anyone who can locate the trunks. ( Ethan Miller/Getty Images for Los Santos: Santo Puro Mezquila)
People reported that the crimes are being investigated by Laredo Police Department, Los Angeles’ Cargo Criminal Apprehension Team and the federal cargo theft prevention and recovery network CargoNet.
Fieri is offering a $10,000 reward to anyone who can locate the missing trucks.
He told People that he is especially hoping to recover the Extra Añejo. “It is just like the crown jewel of the corporate, one thing that we have been engaged on,” he explained. “You possibly can’t reproduce one thing that takes 4 years to make.”
“It is like a film — I by no means in one million years thought this was coming down the pike like this,” Fieri said of the heist. “Nevertheless it’s actual.”
