A man has been charged with allegedly stealing more than half a million dollars worth of unreleased limited edition Bluey coins.
Police allege the opportunistic thief worked at a warehouse in Sydney’s west where the highly sought-after coins were being kept when he stole the packages from the back of a truck on June 23.
He’s then accused of selling the $1 coins featuring the beloved children’s cartoon character online, with the coins currently selling for ten times their face value.
Detectives first launched an investigation into the theft on July 12 after being told that 63,000 of the coins, produced by the Australian Mint, had been stolen from a warehouse in Wetherill Park.
Following extensive inquiries and the establishment of ‘Strike Force Bandit’, police raided a home in Sefton on July 31 where they found and seized 189 of the missing “Dollarbucks” along with some electronic devices.
On Wednesday this week, strike force detectives also searched a home in Westmead, where they arrested a 47-year-old man.
He was taken to Granville Police Station where he was charged with three counts of break and enter commit serious indictable offence.
The man was refused police bail to face Parramatta Local Court today.
Investigations are continuing, with police searching for two other men who they allege were also involved in the theft.
Anyone with information is being urged to come forward.
