Three men were arrested after vigilant security staff spotted suspects making off from a York supermarket.
Hundreds of pounds worth of suspected stolen spirits were recovered, less than half an hour after the theft from Asda at Monks Cross was reported.
At about 5.30pm on Tuesday 30 June 2020, staff called police to report that a group of men had run off from the store with bags full of bottles.
Officers from North Yorkshire Police responded immediately, and located a Hyundai I10 heading north on the A19 near Thirsk.
Twenty bottles
Just before 6pm, the car was stopped and three occupants – all men in their 40s, from Ormesby near Middlesbrough – were arrested on suspicion of shop theft.
The driver was further arrested on suspicion of drug driving, after testing positive for cocaine on a roadside drug wipe.
The car was searched, and more than 20 bottles of spirits including gin, whisky and vodka, were found.
The three men have been released under investigation while enquiries continue.