Meat-thieving trio caught hauling 25 cases of beef from a truck in Holmesburg to their getaway van

A trio of would-be beef thieves were foiled in their attempt to steal 1,600 pounds of meat from a tractor-trailer in Holmesburg on Tuesday after law enforcement officials tracked them to the scene of the crime, authorities said.

Douglas Mathis, Jamir Scott, and Tariq Duncan, all of Philadelphia, were charged with corrupt organizations, theft, and related crimes for the brazen beef caper on the 7300 block of Edmund Street, Pennsylvania Attorney General Michelle Henry said Wednesday.

The men, wearing masks and dark clothing, were seen breaking a lock on the tractor-trailer and carrying 25 cases of beef valued at $7,000 from the rig to their getaway van, authorities said.

They were each being held on $200,000 bail, court records show.

The arrests were part of an interstate law enforcement investigation dubbed Operation Beef Bandit. The operation, which includes investigators from the New Jersey State Police, Philadelphia police, and the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office, has targeted crews of thieves who steal high-value goods including food and alcohol.

Earlier this month, New Jersey State Police nabbed four Philadelphia men who authorities said were part of an organized cargo-theft ring that targeted service areas along the New Jersey Turnpike.

The crew carried out nine burglaries at service areas along the turnpike, breaking into parked tractor-trailers and stealing cargo including meat, seafood, and alcohol, authorities said. They were connected to a series of thefts across the tristate area involving stolen goods worth millions of dollars, state police said.

After an investigation, New Jersey state troopers zeroed in on men suspected of those thefts at the Molly Pitcher Service Area in Cranbury, N.J., on Sept. 13.

Troopers spotted two vehicles entering the service area shortly before 1:30 a.m. that day and saw four men attempting to steal boxes of meat from a parked, occupied tractor-trailer, authorities said. When troopers moved in to apprehend them, the would-be thieves scattered, authorities said.

Hanif Tucker, 31, was taken into custody, while Shaun Coleman, 23, attempted to run away but was arrested shortly afterward. The last two suspects, Salahudin Reddy, 37, and Rashan Clark-Reddy, 26, tried to get away in a stolen vehicle, ramming an occupied unmarked police car as they tried to escape, authorities said.

After a brief pursuit during which the two damaged two marked trooper cars, they were also taken into custody, authorities said.

All four men were charged with conspiracy to commit cargo theft and related crimes, authorities said.

The beef theft was the latest in a string of cargo robberies in the Philadelphia region.

Thieves, it seems, have a surf-and-turf approach to their schemes, with recent thefts including expensive seafood.

Earlier this month, a crew of six thieves stole three large pallets of crabmeat worth $42,000 from a tractor-trailer in South Philadelphia.

Officers responded to a report of a theft from the back of a tractor-trailer on the 600 block of Packer Avenue around 3:30 a.m. on Sept. 4, police said. The truck driver said he was sleeping inside the truck when he felt movement in the rear of the vehicle and saw six men stealing boxes of crabmeat from the truck. After loading the stolen seafood into three different cars, the crew split up and fled, police said.

Philadelphia police said such cargo thefts have been a problem in the city, in part because the culprits can be elusive. Police officials said they have worked with multiple jurisdictions in recent months to target such crime. Department officials declined to comment on the most recent arrests and referred questions to the state Attorney General’s Office.

Anyone with information about cargo thefts is encouraged to submit a tip to phillypolice.com or via the department’s tipline at 215-868-8477.