Ram raid: High-end Takapuna alcohol store Glengarry latest victim

Glengarry in the beachside suburb of Takapuna is the latest victim of smash-and-grab style burglaries in Auckland. Photo / Alex Burton

A beachside store specialising in fine wines, beer and spirits is the latest store to be hit in a spate of ram raids.

A car was used to smash through the front door of Glengarry on Hurstmere Rd in Takapuna at 4.40am on Sunday.

Police said an unknown number of offenders were alleged to have loaded items from the store into another vehicle before fleeing from the scene.

A police spokesperson said no arrests had been made but the burglary was under investigation.

The store front was boarded up today but the shop was still open to the public and a clean-up was in progress.

Staff at the store did not want to comment on the burglary.

In the three months from May to August this year there have been 129 ram raids with police confirming almost all of them involved youth.

There have been more since with owners of jewellery stores, vape stores and dairies among the victims.

The ram raid of Glengarry in Takapuna comes 10 days after the brazen burglary of the retailer's original store in Ponsonby.

Just after midnight on September 15 more than $35,000 worth of rare vintage wines and ports were stolen.

CCTV footage of the Glengarry Ponsonby burglary shows a hooded person selecting the most expensive wines to take. Photo / Supplied

The owner of that store believed the wines were stolen to order as thieves ignored cheaper bottles and went for the expensive vintages.

The most expensive bottles stolen were Chateau La Mission Haut-Brion - two of these costing $2215 each were taken.

Footage from the Ponsonby burglary show three masked people picking through the wines decided which ones to take. One man appears to be taking instructions via phone.

Master of Wine Bob Campbell believed the stolen wines were intended to be drunk or served, not individually sold for easy cash.

Some bottles on the list were on the obscure side and the choice of the connoisseur not the burglar, he said.

Anyone with information that may assist is asked to contact Police via the 105 phone service or online at https://www.police.govt.nz/use-105, using Update My Report.

For the Takapuna Ram raid please reference event number P052027105.
For the Ponsonby burglary please reference 220915/8238.

Information can also be provided anonymously via Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111.