1,600 Pounds Of Beef Stolen From Trailer In Philly, 3 Charged

PHILADELPHIA, PA —Three men have been charged with stealing thousands of dollars worth of beef from a parked tractor-trailer on a city street, authorities said.

The three men were caught Tuesday morning stealing 1,600 pounds of beef —worth $7,000 —from a locked tractor-trailer parked in the 7300 block of Edmund Street, State Attorney General Michelle Henry announced.

The arrests were part of the agency's collaborative “Operation Beef Bandit” investigation conducted by the Office of Attorney General agents and assisted by the Philadelphia Police Department.

Douglas Mathis, Jamir Scott, and Tariq Duncan are charged with corrupt organizations, theft, and related offenses. At arraignments Tuesday, bail for each was set at $200,000 cash.

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

“This was tenacious investigative work that involved collaboration between law enforcement agencies to stop high-value thefts from parked tractor-trailers,” Henry said. “I commend the timely work of our Organized Crime Section who tracked this crew and, essentially, caught them in the act.”

Law enforcement recently announced initial arrests from the “Operation Beef Bandit” investigation, which was led by New Jersey State Police. Office of Attorney General agents and Philadelphia Police Department worked with New Jersey officials to track down the three men arrested Tuesday.