Warehouse Worker Accused Of Stealing $400,000 Worth Of 'Bluey' Coins
By Bill Galluccio
August 7, 2024
Authorities in Australia arrested a warehouse worker accused of stealing around $400,000 worth of Bluey coins. The A$1 (0.66 USD) coins are based on the popular children's cartoon and are considered legal currency.
The limited-edition coins were produced by the Royal Australian Mint and are selling for more than ten times their value.
Officials said a 47-year-old man allegedly stole 64,000 unreleased coins from a Sydney warehouse where he worked back in June. He snatched the coins, which weighed a total of 1,100 pounds, from the back of a truck and sold them online within several hours.
Investigators said they are still trying to locate two male accomplices.
Police recovered less than 200 of the stolen coins, admitting that most are already in circulation. Officials said that anybody who purchased the stolen coins could keep them.
"The theft of these coins have deprived a lot of young children and members of the community from having access to these coins, so we're doing our absolute best to try to recover these coins and put them back into circulation," Detective Superintendent Joseph Doueihi said.