Kentucky authorities have finally indicted the rouge distillery workers behind the theft of massive amounts of bourbon, reports the New York Post. The ring stole from both the Buffalo Trace distillery and the Wild Turkey distillery—where a few of the thieves worked— and made away with some of the rarest and most expensive bottles in the industry, including the exclusive Pappy Van Winkle.
The scheme had been going on since 2008 or 2009, according to officials, but finally came to a halt when whiskey barrels were uncovered behind a Franklin County shed. Authorities have recovered at least $100,000 worth of whiskey.
After the ring stole Eagle Rare bourbon from Wild Turkey, Gruppo Campari, the owner of the distillery, noted that there were no signs of a break in—tipping off the authorities that the robbery must have been an inside job.
The nine defendants believed responsible for the heist will be charged for engaging in organized crime as members of a criminal syndicate. However, for those of you who are wondering what will happen to the recovered bourbon, be warned that the ending is a tragic one: Franklin County Sheriff Pat Melton says, “I think by law it will have to be destroyed.” [New York Post] [Photo: Flickr.com/illiac1]