Sammy Hagar and Guy Fieri are facing a “huge setback” after two trucks for their jointly owned tequila company were hijacked, with over $1 million in product stolen.
The trucks were transporting 4,040 cases of Santo tequila, including blanco, reposado and extra añejo varieties, the latter of which has the highest price point. The robbery reportedly took place in Laredo, Texas, just after the big rigs had crossed the border from Mexico.
“It appears this was an organized crime effort where the trucks were illegally double brokered to different carriers who transferred the product to their trucks,” a representative for Hagar explained to Fox News.
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“For a growing company like Santo, it’s really a shame for something like this to happen in the middle of our strongest year to date and right before the holidays!” the Red Rocker noted in a statement of his own. “Anyone that knows business knows that this is a huge setback for any company in a hugely competitive market. But Guy and I will survive. Most of all, we’re glad that nobody was hurt during this crime.”
Hagar and Fieri teamed up to launch Santo in 2019. Before that, the former Van Halen singer found huge success with his Cabo Wabo tequila brand, which he sold in 2007.
Guy Fieri Says Robbery Was ‘Like a Movie’
In an interview with People Magazine, Fieri said that he and Hagar found out about the theft on Nov. 14.
“We’ve worked so hard,” the celebrity chef bemoaned. “This is our best year we’ve ever had in Santo. We just had all this momentum, and now whatever’s on the shelf is all people are going to get.”
As far as motive, Fieri suggested that “someone could be trying to break the momentum” the company has generated. Though it seems unlikely that the stolen tequila will be recovered, Fieri is offering a $10,000 reward if they can at least get back the extra añejo, which takes four years to make.
“It’s like a movie,” Fieri said of the hijacking. “I never in a million years thought this was coming down the pike like this, but it’s real.”
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Gallery Credit: Matthew Wilkening
