Softball league players boost $100,000 worth of bourbon in dramatic heist out of Ocean’s 11

Softball league players boost $100,000 worth of bourbon in dramatic heist out of Ocean’s 11

The group used their connections with some dishonest employees who worked at Wild Turkey to steal the bourbon, according to police.

Nine people have been charged in a bold bourbon heist in Kentucky on Tuesday that involved $100,000 worth of whiskey, including the coveted Pappy Van Winkle variety.

A group of people who knew each other from a softball league worked with employees at two Kenucky distilleries to plan the heist, which may have gone fine — had police not found the stolen barrels in a shed on the property of one of the accused, according to an Independent Online report.

Officers found the barrels on the property of Gilbert “Toby” Curtsinger and then worked with investigators as well as the state Attorney General’s office to get to the bottom of the huge plot to steal the bourbon, as well as rye whiskey and anabolic steroids.

Some of the brands stolen includes Wild Turkey and the super-expensive Pappy Van Winkle, which is made in Frankfort. Pappy Van Winkle is aged 20 years and can fetch more than $1,000 per bottle on the secondary market, according to the report.

Some of the barrels and bottles of bourbon had already been sold across the state.

Curtsinger was charged in the theft, and authorities believe he had access to the bourbon as an employee at Wild Turkey. Sheriff Pat Melton said it was a case “where you had employees that made some very poor decisions,” he said according to the report.

In addition to Gilbert Curtsinger, a grand jury also indicted Julie Curtsinger, Dusty Adkins, Ronnie Lee Hubbard, Christopher Preston, Joshua Preston, Robert McKinney and Shawn Ballard on organized crime charges, which is a felony.

Although none were in custody, police have been in contact with their attorneys and don’t expect to have to go on a manhunt for them.

Bourbon is a $3 billion industry in Kentucky, which is home to 95 percent of all bourbon production.

Despite the recovery, good bourbon will probably have to go to waste as authorities will need to destroy the barrels after the case has gone to trial. The sealed bottles could be spared, however.

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