Iconic rock band System of a Down have reportedly had around $350,000 worth of merchandise stolen ahead of their concerts in Paris.
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Thousands of T-shirts were allegedly taken during a delivery in Val-d'Oise, just north of the French capital, on Thursday.
The incident came as the band played two sold-out shows at Stade de France on July 2 and July 4. They performed in front of an estimated 160,000 fans across both nights.
Rock Band Merch Stolen Ahead of Paris Shows
According to French outlet Actu17, police quickly identified two suspects and recovered almost all of the stolen merchandise.
The reported theft occurred after a pallet containing thousands of System of a Down T-shirts and promotional items was mistakenly delivered to a neighboring business instead of Warner's premises.
"It was delivered to a neighboring company due to an error ," a source close to the case revealed, via Actu17.
"Very quickly, the situation took a different turn: the merchandise was being held by the store managers, who were trying to obtain ?10,000 in exchange for its return ," explained the Un1té police union in Paris, in a translated post.
Once the merchandise was reported missing, investigators launched a rapid operation that led them to identify the two suspects.
Both individuals were arrested on Thursday and taken into police custody.
Police Recover Majority of Stolen Merchandise
Authorities carried out several searches the following day, including at a storage unit in Villepinte. Officers recovered the vast majority of the missing merchandise.
"The suspects confessed to the crimes during their interrogations ," Un1té 75 said in a statement.
The organization "wishes to commend the excellent work of our colleagues from BAC Centre B, BAC Centre A, and the SAIP BTJ for their responsiveness, efficiency, and the quality of their work."
The two suspects appeared before a judge on Saturday, with further updates expected as the legal proceedings continue.
System of a Down are currently on their first European headline tour since 2017.
The run began in Stockholm on June 29 and includes performances in France, Italy, Germany, and the United Kingdom. The tour is scheduled to conclude in Warsaw, Poland.
