Australian police charged a man with nabbing thousands of collectable coins bearing the image of cartoon pup Bluey. (Handout/New South Wales Police/AFP)
Australian police on Wednesday charged a man with nabbing thousands of collectable coins bearing the image of cartoon pup Bluey, a ruff day for the 47-year-old who faces time in the big house if convicted.
The warehouse worker allegedly snaffled 63 000 unreleased and limited edition $1 coins celebrating the Australian creation, which is popular worldwide.
“Police will allege in court the man was an employee at a warehouse where he located and stole the Australian Mint packages from the back of a truck on Sunday, 23 June 2024,” police said.
The coins were then sold online for 10 times their face value, giving the total haul a potential street value of about $600 000 (AUD) (more than R7.2 million).
This undated handout photo taken by the New South Wales Police Force and released on 7 August, 2024 shows bags of seized commemorative Bluey coins at an undisclosed location. (Handout / New South Wales Police/AFP)
AFP
As part of “Strike Force Bandit”, robbery and serious crime squad cops collared the man at a home in Western Sydney on Wednesday after a month-long investigation.
He was charged with three counts of breaking, entering and committing a serious indictable offence – charges that can carry a decades-long jail sentence.
He was refused bail.
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