The Merryweather Heist

Updated 2 November 2026 · Fan site. Not affiliated with Rockstar Games or Take-Two Interactive.

The Merryweather Heist is the second story heist in Grand Theft Auto V (2013), and the first with all three leads. Trevor plans to steal a secret device from Merryweather Security, either by sinking a freighter at the Port of Los Santos or by grabbing it from the seabed with a submarine and a Cargobob. Lester then makes the crew give the device back.

What is The Merryweather Heist?

The Merryweather Heist is the docks job in Grand Theft Auto V. Trevor leads it, and the target is a secret piece of hardware belonging to the private military firm Merryweather Security, linked to the Port of Los Santos. Our GTA heists page lists it second of the six story heists, after The Jewel Store Job.

According to gta.wiki, the main heist only unlocks after Three's Company and By the Book, because Three's Company is where Trevor and Franklin first meet. The preparation can be done earlier.

What are the two approaches?

The plan is chosen in the planning mission Scouting the Port. Both options need a mini submarine, but they play very differently:

gta.wiki notes that Trevor suggests practice for the character who needs it: the shooting range for Franklin in the freighter plan, and Flight School for Michael in the offshore plan. Neither is required.

How does the freighter approach play?

The crew meet at Floyd's flat in Vespucci Beach. Trevor drops Franklin at an overpass with a view of the ship, and the action resumes at dusk with Michael in a dinghy. Michael climbs aboard, sets four charges and is eventually spotted, so control passes to Franklin, who picks off guards and downs a Merryweather helicopter. Once Michael is clear the charges go off and the freighter goes down. Michael then dives to find the cargo, and Trevor collects it in the submarine.

How does the offshore approach play?

This version starts at the Sandy Shores airfield. Wade and Floyd bring the submarine, Michael lifts it with the Cargobob and drops it near the test site, and Trevor tracks down the device with a phone app. On the return flight Merryweather sends helicopters and boats after them, and Franklin holds them off with a machine gun from the back of the aircraft.

What happens after the heist?

Either way the ending is the same. Lester Crest arrives, still in hospital clothes according to gta.wiki, and warns that the device is a dangerous experimental weapon that would bring the authorities down on them. Trevor wants to keep it but gives in when Michael promises him another big job, and Lester takes the device away to return it. There is no payout, and Trevor is left furious. That promise leads on to the later heists, including The Paleto Score.

gta.wiki lists the Subversive achievement for finishing the job. It also unlocks Blitz Play and places a submersible at the Sandy Shores airfield, which opens up underwater exploration.

Who plays which role?

This is the first heist where you switch between all three leads during the action. Trevor runs the operation and handles the submarine in both versions. Michael does the risky close work, either sneaking aboard the ship or piloting the heavy helicopter. Franklin supports the others with long-range or machine-gun fire. Trevor's friends Wade and Floyd help with transport and, in the freighter version, Floyd works the crane that lifts the submarine onto the dock. The setup missions are played as Trevor, who needs to steal the submarine and, for the offshore plan, the Cargobob as well.

Which approach is canon?

Rockstar never said, but gta.wiki gathers hints that the freighter version is the official one. In-game news reports a ship attacked in the port whichever plan you pick, the job was once named after the Port of Los Santos, and later dialogue mentions an operation at the port. The same page notes the other reading: that the offshore option may simply have been added late in development.