Detectives arrest suspect after cheese scammers posing as French buyers stole £300,000 of world’s best cheddar from London dairies

Detectives hunting a gang of alleged cheese frauds who stole £300,000 worth of premium cheddar from an iconic London dairy have moved a step closer to solving the theft.

In a sophisticated scam that has been dubbed the “Grilled Cheese Heist,” Neal’s Yard Dairy mistakenly shipped 950 wheels of uncut cheese to crooks who were accused of posing as a legitimate wholesaler.

They feared the alleged crooks who stole more than 22 tonnes of the world’s best cheddar were still at large following the heist 10 days ago.

But police revealed today that a 63-year-old man had been arrested in connection with the theft which has sparked outrage in the dairy industry.

A spokesman for the Met Police told MailOnline: ‘On Monday 21st October, police received a report of the theft of a large quantity of cheese from a manufacturer based in Southwark.

“Investigating officers have since arrested a 63-year-old man on suspicion of fraud by false representation and handling stolen goods.”

Police added that the man was interviewed at a south London police station and released on bail pending further enquiries.

Neal’s Yard Dairy, a popular cheesemonger based in London, said earlier this week that they had been “overwhelmed” by messages of support, offers of financial support and orders for cheeses from America and Germany.

Cheese lovers around the world have been left outraged by the calculated robbery, with celebrity chef Jamie Oliver leading the fight for dairy justice.

Describing the four-month scam as the ‘Grilled Cheese Robbery’, he said: ‘In a shocking turn of events, Neal’s Yard Dairy has fallen victim to a heist of epic proportions.’

Neal’s Yard Dairy said it was “really touched” by the outpouring of support following the elaborate scam.

The retailer’s owner Sarah Stewart said The Times: “Obviously the British love their cheese, but we’ve had loads of really incredible people getting in touch, it seems to have gone international.

She added: “Business customers have said, ‘Can we pay faster?’ and “what can we do?”

“We have three stores in London and a lot of our customers have come in really concerned and offering support and then our e-commerce has seen an increase in orders.

“We’re trying to look forward and take heart from the incredible support and interest it’s generating and people are sending super nice messages. It’s overwhelming.

Neal’s Yard Dairy said it had continued to pay Hafod, Westcombe and Pitchfork, the cheese makers, despite the “significant financial hit”.

The scam is said to have started in July, when someone posed as a well-known European cheese distributor and asked about 950 truckloads – uncut wheels – of cheddar.

Over the next few months, the alleged scammer masqueraded as a distributor and appeared to display a high level of industry knowledge.

The Times reports that a contract was drawn up and the alleged fraudster arranged for a carrier to collect half of the cheese order from Neal’s Yard Dairy’s Bermondsey warehouse in September.

The second half of the order was to be delivered to a site in North London.

Fears began to grow when the dairy did not receive payment within a week, which had been agreed upon. The buyer stopped responding when Neal’s Yard Dairy attempted to contact them.

They then contacted the legitimate distributor they thought had placed the order and quickly realized they had been scammed.

Neal’s Yard Dairy asked cheese lovers to contact them if they suspect they have received the stolen cheese, describing them as cloth-wrapped cheddars in a 10kg or 24kg format with the labels removed.

Cheese can be stored for up to 18 months if stored at the right temperature and conditions.

Chef Jamie Oliver helped to call for more information by sharing the hoax with his 10.5 million followers on Instagram.

“It was a big cheese heist,” he said. “One of the world’s best cheddars has been stolen.”

He described it as a “real shame”, adding: “If anyone hears something about fancy cheese coming out cheap, there’s probably something wrong with it.

“So if anyone hears anything about truckloads of fancy cheese, I mean, I don’t know what they’re going to do with it, really.”

“They’re going to peel it off the canvas, cut it up and shred it and get rid of it in the fast food industry, in the commercial industry? I don’t know – it seems very strange to me.

In a statement posted on its Instagram page on Sunday, Neal’s Yard Dairy said: “Everyone who has rallied to support us over the past few days – thank you.

“Since sharing the news of our theft, we have received an overwhelming number of calls, messages and visits. We are truly thrilled that so many people in the artisan cheese community and beyond are with us. It’s a reminder of why we love the work we do.

“Many of you have asked how you can help. To that, we say: keep supporting British and Irish cheese. Hafod, Pitchfork and Westcombe are special examples of farmhouse cheddar. eat them Celebrate them.

“We’ll be here supporting British and Irish cheese for a long time to come.”