An investigation is underway after more than 10,000 bottles of bourbon were stolen from a Philadelphia warehouse in broad daylight Friday, according to company officials. According to A21 Wine Spirits and Apogee 21 Holdings, Inc., approximately 1,800 cases of Noble Oak Bourbon — worth about $5 00,000 — were stolen from American Supply on N American Street between 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. on June 5 in what company officials are calling a “coordinated cargo theft operation.” Officials said each case contained six bottles, bringing the total number of stolen bottles to 10,800. “We are treating this as a serious criminal matter and are fully cooperating with law enforcement authorities,” said a spokesperson for A21 Wine Spirits. “The theft involved a significant quantity of premium bourbon from our newly acquired brand, Noble Oak, and appears to have been executed with knowledge of logistics operations and product movement schedules.” Rob Koch, chief operating officer of Apogee 21 Holdings, Inc., said the suspects deceived warehouse employees into thinking they were supposed to load their truck with the bourbon bottles. He added that the workers missed some regular security protocols and allowed them to enter to “move forward with the heist.” “This is one of the largest thefts of bourbon that we’ve seen especially this year in the region,” Koch told NBC10. Koch said because of the size of the theft, they believe the stolen bourbon may be offered for resale through unauthorized channels, secondary wholesales, online marketplaces, or other illegal distribution networks. For that reason, officials are asking distributors, retailers, restaurants, bars, brokers, freight operators, warehouse operators and consumers to remain vigilant and report any suspicious offers involving large quantities of Noble Oak Bourbon being sold outside established distribution channels. “It’s been very stressful. It’s been a huge emotional rollercoaster, but every bottle for us plants a tree, so even though these thieves heisted 10,800 bottles from our company, we’re still planting those trees,” Koch said. Koch said the theft was reported to the Philadelphia Police Department, the FBI and other agencies. Anyone with information regarding the theft or the whereabouts of the stolen inventory is encouraged to contact local law enforcement authorities or the company directly: A21 Wine Spirits Phone: 702-799-9432 Email: [email protected]. ...read more read less