عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Varieties

‘Bluey’ Coins Worth $400,000 Stolen by Australian Warehouse Worker, Police Say

This undated handout photo taken by the New South Wales Police Force and released on August 7, 2024 shows bags of seized commemorative Bluey coins at an undisclosed location. (New South Wales Police / AFP)
This undated handout photo taken by the New South Wales Police Force and released on August 7, 2024 shows bags of seized commemorative Bluey coins at an undisclosed location. (New South Wales Police / AFP)
TT
TT

‘Bluey’ Coins Worth $400,000 Stolen by Australian Warehouse Worker, Police Say

This undated handout photo taken by the New South Wales Police Force and released on August 7, 2024 shows bags of seized commemorative Bluey coins at an undisclosed location. (New South Wales Police / AFP)
This undated handout photo taken by the New South Wales Police Force and released on August 7, 2024 shows bags of seized commemorative Bluey coins at an undisclosed location. (New South Wales Police / AFP)

An Australian man is set to appear in court on Wednesday after being arrested for the alleged theft of more than A$600,000 ($393,000) worth of commemorative coins linked to the popular children's television show "Bluey", police said.

The 47-year-old is accused of stealing 63,000 unreleased, limited-edition A$1 coins from a secure warehouse in the Sydney suburb of Wetherill Park in June, according to "Strike Force Bandit", a special unit police set up to investigate the theft.

One of last year's most streamed television shows in the United States, the Australian animated show targeted at children is widely loved by adults too and is the 14th highest-rated show of all time, movie tracker website IMDB.com showed.

The coins, produced by the Australian mint, are legal tender and resemble regular A$1 coins albeit with one face featuring the anthropomorphic canine character "Bluey". Police say they are selling online for 10 times their face value.

A similar run of special commemorative coins sell for A$20 each on the mint's website - coins designed to be collectors' items only and not legal tender. One eBay seller was charging almost A$600 for a pack of three.

Detective Superintendent Joseph Doueihi told reporters at a press conference he was not initially aware of the show's popularity.

"The theft of these coins have deprived a lot of young children and members of the community from having access to these coins, so we're doing our absolute best to try to recover these coins and put them back into circulation."

Police said the man worked at the warehouse where the coins were being stored for two days on their way to Brisbane.

They alleged he stole the coins, which weighed 500 kilograms (1102 lb), from the back of a truck with the help of two male accomplices. The coins were then sold online within hours.

A raid on a Sydney house in June recovered 189 coins but Doueihi said the vast bulk of coins are already in circulation. Those who have received one do not need to surrender it to police, he said.

Most Viewed

 
 
Varieties

Debby Pours More than a Foot of Rain on Coastal Georgia, South Carolina

A street is flooded by Tropical Storm Debby on August 6, 2024 in Savannah, Georgia. (Getty Images/AFP)
A street is flooded by Tropical Storm Debby on August 6, 2024 in Savannah, Georgia. (Getty Images/AFP)
TT
TT

Debby Pours More than a Foot of Rain on Coastal Georgia, South Carolina

A street is flooded by Tropical Storm Debby on August 6, 2024 in Savannah, Georgia. (Getty Images/AFP)
A street is flooded by Tropical Storm Debby on August 6, 2024 in Savannah, Georgia. (Getty Images/AFP)

Tropical Storm Debby inundated coastal Georgia and South Carolina with a deluge of rain that could flood Charleston, Savannah and other cities on Tuesday, a day after it slammed into Florida's Gulf Coast as a hurricane.

At least six people have died in Florida and Georgia in the wake of the storm, which is expected to linger over the southeastern and mid-Atlantic coasts for days.

Between 10 inches (25 cm) and 20 inches (51 cm) of rain was expected to fall along parts of Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina through Friday and cause catastrophic flooding, the National Hurricane Center said. The governors of those states have declared states of emergency.

Cedrick King, a businessman from coastal Brunswick, Georgia, said he and his family packed up their belongings on Tuesday and were ready to make the five-hour drive to Atlanta.

"We're headed north, far away from this storm," he said.

The storm featured 45 mile-per-hour (72 km per hour) winds as it moved slowly just south of Savannah, Georgia, early on Tuesday morning. Heavy rainfall could cause flooding in parts of the mid-Atlantic through Sunday, the center said.

More than 8 inches (20 cm) of rain have already fallen on Savannah and Valdosta, Georgia, the National Weather Service said. Charleston and Hilton Head, South Carolina, have received between 10 and 12 inches (25 and 30 cm) of rain so far, the weather service said, with more on the way.

Charleston Mayor William Cogswell said more than 2 feet (61 cm) of rain is expected in his city before the storm passes. Even at low tide, storm surges of between 4 and 6 feet (1.2 and 1.8 meters) will prevent floodwaters from draining into the sea, he said.

There are "not enough pumps in the world" to handle that much rain, Cogswell said late on Monday. He has since extended a citywide curfew until Wednesday morning.

"Nobody should be out on the streets in these conditions unless it is an absolute emergency," the mayor said.

About 50 miles (80 km) west of Charleston, fears of a breach at the McGrady Dam in Colleton County, part of the state's Lowcountry, prompted the county sheriff's office to warn residents to evacuate immediately on Tuesday morning.

Debby made landfall as a Category 1 hurricane in the Big Bend region of Florida's Gulf Coast on Monday morning, dumping 8 to 16 inches (20 to 41 cm) of rain in parts of central Florida, according to local reports. The storm has been blamed for five deaths in Florida and one near Valdosta, Georgia.

Nearly 110,000 customers were without power in Florida as of Tuesday morning, according to poweroutage.us, down from a peak of 350,000 on Monday. And more than 17,000 were without power in Georgia. Hundreds of flights to and from the state were canceled.

Weather conditions could spawn tornadoes as well, according to the National Hurricane Center. A suspected twister flipped over cars and damaged restaurants in Moncks Corner, South Carolina, about 30 miles (48 km) north of Charleston, early Tuesday morning. Mayor Thomas Hamilton Jr. said there were minor injuries.

The hurricane center said Debby would slow down and move east and off Georgia's shore on Tuesday before turning north and drifting inland over South Carolina near Charleston on Thursday.

Vice President Kamala Harris postponed a presidential campaign stop scheduled this week in Savannah, the Savannah Morning News reported.

Savannah Mayor Van Johnson said the city could expect a "once in a thousand year" rain event.

"This will literally create islands in the city," Johnson said.