Pair arrested in Netherlands for theft of $629,000 in Apple Watches

A massive Apple Watch theft occurred in May, with Dutch authorities making an arrest after the unsolved case was highlighted on a television show.

The Royal Netherlands Marechaussee, a branch of the Netherlands Armed Forces, arrested a 37-year-old man from Bulgaria on suspicion of theft of 4,400 Apple Watches. The theft occurred on May 16, when six pallets of Apple's popular wearable were purloined from the warehouse of a transport company at Schiphol East and driven off-site.

The six pallets are said to be worth roughly 530,000 euros — almost $629,000.

The authorities identified the suspect based on tips after the case was discussed on "Opsporing Verzocht," a Dutch television program that details unsolved crimes and asks its viewers for help.

The authorities believe the suspect was the driver of the truck that transported the smartwatches. The Marechaussee previously arrested a 62-year-old man who worked for the transport company and was suspected of assisting in the theft.

Recently, A New Jersey man has pled guilty to charges that he stole nearly 300 iPhones from a Customs and Border Protection (CBP) warehouse in New Jersey, over three weeks in 2015.

In December 2019, A 33-year-old Oklahoma man was accused of stealing $200,000 worth of iPhones from a Best Buy distribution center where he was working.