A man has been charged after allegedly stealing and selling $600,000 worth of unreleased limited edition coins inspired by the popular kids’ show Bluey.
Police received reports on July 12 that a large amount of the coins had been stolen from a warehouse in Weatherill Park in Sydney’s west.
NSW police established Strike Force Bandit to investigate the alleged theft of the coins.
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Police believe that 63,000 of the coins, which are produced by the Australian Mint and stamped with images of the shows’ characters, were stolen from the warehouse.
After extensive investigations, Strike Force Bandit executed a search warrant at a property in Sefton on Wednesday, July 31.
During the search, police allegedly found 189 of the unreleased coins.
Today police raided a home in Westmead, arresting a 47-year-old man at about 7am.
He was taken to Granville Police Station and charged with three counts of breaking and entering and committing serious indictable offences.
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The 47-year-old was expected to face Parramatta Local Court today.
Police will allege the man worked at a warehouse when he located and allegedly stole the packages of Bluey Coins from the back of a truck from the Australian Mint on June 23.
Police will allege he then sold the coins online for ten times their $1 worth.
Police said their investigations under Strike Force Bandit are continuing.
The limited edition coins have proved popular since they were first released, with long lines seen outside the Australian Mint in Canberra in June.
The first set of commemorative Bluey coins were sold individually for $20 each, or $55 for a set.
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