Two men named and charged with stealing £50,000 worth of rum after arrests on M3 in Hampshire

Barry Calvert and Dale Hever are scheduled to appear in court today following the incident. Police rushed to Fleet Services in the early hours of yesterday (May 29) at 12.30am after a haul of alcohol was stolen from a lorry.

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary said a report of f suspicious circumstances relating to a van on the M3 southbound was made. “Officers deployed to the area and located the van on the M3 southbound, near J5,” they added.

“Officers safely used a stop stick and two of the van’s tyres were deflated. The van was searched and officers located approximately 2,300 bottles of rum worth an estimated £50,000. All items, including the van, rum and bolt croppers, were seized.”

Calvert, 33, of Windsor Gardens in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, has been charged with conspiracy to steal from a motor vehicle and aggravated vehicle taking. Hever, 30, of Smallwood Gardens in Dewsbury, has been charged with conspiracy to steal from a motor vehicle, aggravated vehicle taking and fraudulently loan a registration mark / document.

He also faces a charge of with driving otherwise than in accordance with licence and using a vehicle without third party insurance. The pair will appear in Basingstoke Magistrates Court today.