Grant Stinchfield, NBCDFW.com
Dr Pepper is popular in Texas -- popular enough to steal.
Dr Pepper is popular in Texas -- popular enough to steal.
In the past two and half months, soda thieves have stolen about $100,000 worth of the iconic Texas brand.
And they're not just pilfering a few cases at a time.
In February, DP bandits stole an 18-wheeler filled with Dr Pepper from a Sherman distributor. A month later, two fully loaded tractor-trailers disappeared from a Waco distributor. Last week, thieves made off with two more big rigs fully loaded with Dr Pepper at a Wichita Falls distributor.
In each case, the stolen trucks turned up in the Metroplex -- empty.
Robert Gutierrez at Oak Cliff's Soda Gallery said Dr Pepper has its addicts "but this is a little further than I can imagine."
"If anyone comes to me and offers me a pallet of Dr Pepper, I better turn it down because they will find me I'm sure," he said.
But what if the thieves are keeping the loot for themselves?
"Over time, I would imagine you might need a good dentist," Gutierrez said.
