Posted on 12/26/2002 7:03:29 AM PST by SheLion
Armed gunmen bound three McLane Pacific employees early Sunday and, with the aid of a forklift, loaded up pallets of cigarettes and took rolls of state tax stamps.
Merced Police Detective Harry Markarian said the robbery netted the armed gunmen over $1 million in stolen cigarettes and tax stamps.
There were no injuries to the victims, the detective said.
The three employees — two security guards and a maintenance man — told police it was about 3 a.m. when at least four men armed with handguns walked into the plant, rounded them up and bound them.
The McLane Pacific Merced Division is located at 3876 E. Childs Ave. and distributes, cigarettes, grocery items, health and beauty aids — everything except beverages — to stores in Northern California, as far south as Bakersfield and into Northern Nevada.
Leaving one of the robbers to guard the employees, the others used a forklift and loaded 17 pallets of cigarettes — 26 cases per pallet — onto a truck.
Markarian would not release the type of vehicle used in the robbery because of the ongoing investigation, he said.
In addition to the cigarettes, the robbers took several rolls of state tax stamps. Every package of cigarettes must be sealed with a tax stamp before it can be sold. Markarian said there are 30,000 stamps per roll.
The detective said they received word of the robbery at 5:08 a.m. after the victims untied themselves. This means the robbers had at least two hours to load the stolen goods and leave, the detective said.
Markarian said it is believed the robbers went north on Kibby Road.
Markarian said that while they have no suspects, they are working on some leads at this time. He would not comment when asked if he thought warehouse workers might have been involved in the robbery.
He said that federal Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearm agents are working with the police.
This is the second major robbery the large distributorship has suffered in two years.
On the early morning hours of Nov. 22, 2000, a McLane truck pulling a trailer and carrying a cargo that included about $40,000 worth of cigarettes was hijacked by two men as it went over the railroad tracks at Highway 140.
Crossing Highway 140, the driver was taken to a nearby orchard where he was bound and gagged. The cigarettes were transferred from the big rig to a rental truck.
Manuel Jay Flores, 22, and David Lee Addington, 22, both of Merced, were arrested by police a short distance away.
Flores was found guilty by a jury of kidnapping in the course of a robbery and kidnapping to commit a robbery and was sentenced to a life term plus 10 years.
Addington earlier pleaded no contest to grand theft and hijacking and was sentenced to 13 years in prison.
Reporter Mike De La Cruz can be reached at 385-2474 or mdelacruz@mercedsun–star.com.
Your so right.
Do you mean these?
I saw that movie, but I can't remember that scene. hmmmm I must be losing it! 
Texas is pondering a $1 tax per pack increase. If they do, that will be when I either buy regularly off the internet, or start making trips to Mexico.
Not the best pic but the only one I could find quickly.
SheLion, remember the cop car chase where all the cop cars pile up in a huge crash? The Pointer Sisters are singing in the background?
Ah, yes ---Prohibition II (or is it III (the War on Drugs then being Prohibition II)).
We have a winner!
(Chorus:) And it's hard to say
Just how some things never change
And it's hard to find
Any strength to draw the line
I'm just burning doin' the neutron dance
I'm just burning doin' the neutron dance
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