Robbers Steal $364,000 in Canned Tuna

There’s something fishy about the office holdup that took place Wednesday in the city of Commerce. Along with computers and a fax machine, five robbers took three truckloads of tuna.

Top quality white tuna, that is--300,000 cans of it, valued at more than $364,000.

“They only took the high-grade, albacore kind,” said Jack McElwain, general manger of DPSI, a packing and distribution company.

“Probably the suspects have a vendor for this,” said Lt. Ron Mills of the East Los Angeles sheriff’s station. “They went after a specific item.”

McElwain said three masked gunmen barged into a meeting Wednesday night, and bound him and three other employees with duct tape. While they were face-down on the floor, the employees could hear two other intruders revving up a forklift to load the tuna.

McElwain said that after the robbers left, it took about two hours to free his feet. A second victim bit through the tape on the third victim’s hands.

Authorities are seeking information about any suspicious street resales of Starkist or Three Diamond brand chunky tuna.