Sammy Hagar and his business partner, Guy Fieri, are being extra careful after $1 million worth of tequila was stolen from their brand, Santo Spirits, while crossing the border from Mexico to Texas. Hagar even forgot the lyrics to a classic song recently.
Hagar told Fox News that the theft was planned by an organized group. The truck drivers didn’t know what was going on. They were hired to transport the tequila and were given fake phones and GPS. One truck has been found, but the second truck is lost, and the stolen tequila has likely been spread out.
“It was a heist. It was a very programmed thing,” Hagar told Fox News Digital at Metallica’s All Within My Hands Foundation presents The Helping Hands Concert & Auction 2024 at L.A.’s YouTube theater.
He continued, “There was some kind of organization, I can’t talk too much about it, but we’re finding out who it was. It was well planned, the truck drivers… they didn’t know anything, they just got hired to pick the stuff up, they had fake cellphones and fake GPS, and then they just sent them to drop it off.”
“We found one truck, so we’re getting somewhere, but we’ll never find the second one because it supposedly has been dispersed into the system.”
The theft happened in Laredo, Texas, and involved two trucks carrying 24,240 bottles of their tequila, including some special Extra Añejo. Hagar said it was a big blow to their holiday sales. Not only did they lose the tequila, but they also have to pay to make more.
Although this didn’t affect their personal finances, it did hurt their profits. Fieri shared that they were having their best year with the brand and the stolen shipment was important for their sales. Hagar also pointed out that their distillery, which depends on their sales, was impacted by the loss. The distillery is working hard to replace the stolen tequila, but it won’t be ready in time for the holidays.
Going forward, Hagar said they will be more careful with shipments. They’ve learned to be more cautious when transporting products across the border. He also talked about how proud he is of their tequila, which is made using the best ingredients and processes.
Besides dealing with the theft, Hagar also celebrated Metallica at their charity concert. He helped them get on the Monsters of Rock tour years ago and praised their foundation, saying he supports causes like feeding people and helping children’s education.
