A major robbery: police detained a suspect in the theft of 22 tons of elite cheese (3 photos)

Police have identified a 63-year-old suspect in a van in south London who was found carrying stolen cheese. The man has now been released on bail as the investigation into the high-profile case continues.





Police in Britain have said they have arrested a suspect in connection with the theft of one of the largest batches of premium cheese in Britain, which has shocked the cheese-making community.

The police said the man arrested was a 63-year-old man who stole £48,000 (almost 22 tons) of Cheddar cheese, worth almost $400,000.



"The man was taken to a south London police station where he was questioned. He has since been released on bail pending further inquiries," a police spokesman said, without giving any details or information about the man they arrested.

Media reports, however, that more than a month has passed since the brazen theft. However, many still cannot understand what the criminal’s logic was and who needed such a large amount of cheese.

“We, like the rest of the world, can only guess – who needed such a large amount of cheese? If you are not a supermarket, what do you do with 22 tonnes of cheese? It really puzzles us, so hopefully this arrest will provide some answers,” said Ben Tisgerst, head cheese maker at Trethowan Brothers Dairy.



At the time of the arrest, various theories were put forward about who the products could have been sent to. According to one, the cheeses could have been sent to the Middle East, but neither cheese makers nor experts know the true motives of the perpetrator.

Meanwhile, Neal's Yard Dairy, which had a significant amount of its artisan cheese stolen, has reimbursed its cheesemakers for some of the stolen products. The move has been celebrated by the cheesemaking community.

"I was really concerned about what happened to Neal's Yard and how their product was stolen. So we're just trying to support them as much as we can by encouraging people to shop with them. It's a huge, huge loss," said Westcombe Dairy's dairy operations director Tom Culver.

Neal's Yard Dairy itself says it has received "an overwhelming amount of calls, messages and visits to us." The cheesemakers were touched by the support from so many of their colleagues and how caring people have rushed to help.

"This is a reminder of why we love the work we do. Many of you have asked how you can help. To that we say continue to support British and Irish cheese... We will be here to champion British and Irish cheese for as long as it takes," the company said in a statement.