Three men arrested, charged in 'Operation Beef Bandit' investigation

Harrisburg, Pa. — Three men were caught Tuesday morning in Philadelphia stealing loads of beef from a parked tractor trailer, according to the Attorney General's office.

The term authorities have given for the collaborative investigation is termed “Operation Beef Bandit.”

According to a news release, Office of Attorney General agents, assisted by Philadelphia Police Department, arrested the Philadelphia men as they were stealing 1,600 pounds of beef from a locked tractor trailer parked in the 7300 block of Edmund Street.

Douglas Mathis, Jamir Scott, and Tariq Duncan are charged with corrupt organizations, theft, and related offenses. At arraignments Tuesday, bail for each was set at $200,000 cash, the AG's office said.

“This was tenacious investigative work that involved collaboration between law enforcement agencies to stop high-value thefts from parked tractor trailers,” Attorney General Michelle Henry said. “I commend the timely work of our Organized Crime Section who tracked this crew and, essentially, caught them in the act.”

Law enforcement recently announced initial arrests from the “Operation Beef Bandit” investigation, which was led by New Jersey State Police. Office of Attorney General agents and Philadelphia Police Department worked with New Jersey officials to track down the three men arrested Tuesday, the release said.

The men, wearing dark clothing and masks, were witnessed breaking a lock on the tractor trailer and carrying 25 cases of beef — valued at $7,000 — from the rig to their van.

The case will be prosecuted by the Senior Deputy Attorney General Helen Park with the Office of Attorney General’s Organized Crime Section. The defendants are presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty.