1 00:00:08,400 --> 00:00:10,479 Speaker 1: Hello, and welcome to Savor Protection of I Heart Radio 2 00:00:10,520 --> 00:00:13,119 Speaker 1: and Stuff Media. I'm Ann and I'm Lauren Vogelbaum, and 3 00:00:13,240 --> 00:00:18,000 Speaker 1: today we're talking about food heists. Yeah, and we were 4 00:00:18,040 --> 00:00:22,000 Speaker 1: discussing before we started recording. This could be the entire show. 5 00:00:22,120 --> 00:00:26,759 Speaker 1: This is a surprisingly in depth. In depth isn't a word. 6 00:00:26,760 --> 00:00:28,760 Speaker 1: There's a lot of stories to pick from, deep and 7 00:00:28,880 --> 00:00:32,839 Speaker 1: broad topic that it happens all the time. Some of 8 00:00:32,880 --> 00:00:35,080 Speaker 1: them are real fascinating, some of them are real sad. 9 00:00:36,080 --> 00:00:38,680 Speaker 1: A lot of them are real weird, real weird. I 10 00:00:38,680 --> 00:00:42,080 Speaker 1: mean just by necessity, because it's food. You know, you're 11 00:00:42,120 --> 00:00:45,199 Speaker 1: like paintings. Okay, yeah, I've seen Thomas Crown affair, like 12 00:00:45,240 --> 00:00:49,080 Speaker 1: I get it right, like or like cars or Dimond 13 00:00:49,080 --> 00:00:51,680 Speaker 1: like whatever it is. We hear about all of this stuff, 14 00:00:52,560 --> 00:00:59,680 Speaker 1: but just it's necessarily a little funny when you're like shrimp, right, 15 00:01:00,400 --> 00:01:04,720 Speaker 1: And I've I'm convinced because Ryan Johnson just announced there's 16 00:01:04,720 --> 00:01:07,800 Speaker 1: gonna be knives out too. Oh yeah, and I think 17 00:01:07,959 --> 00:01:10,640 Speaker 1: that should be food based. We need to call him. 18 00:01:11,120 --> 00:01:15,800 Speaker 1: You've got his number, right, no, darn it? Well, if 19 00:01:15,800 --> 00:01:19,120 Speaker 1: anybody has the way to contact him, please let us know. 20 00:01:19,200 --> 00:01:22,160 Speaker 1: Because as we were thinking about this. We've talked about 21 00:01:22,160 --> 00:01:25,679 Speaker 1: this a lot in past episodes. Um, well, what were 22 00:01:25,680 --> 00:01:27,360 Speaker 1: some of them? Coca cola that was more of a 23 00:01:27,440 --> 00:01:31,720 Speaker 1: stock fraud, but still honey, nutella and maple syrup, I 24 00:01:31,720 --> 00:01:34,760 Speaker 1: think lime, and French fries and spam and chicken wings 25 00:01:34,800 --> 00:01:39,200 Speaker 1: and alligator definitely had some like poaching issues in there too. Yeah. Yeah, 26 00:01:39,640 --> 00:01:41,800 Speaker 1: I think the first time that I learned that that 27 00:01:41,880 --> 00:01:45,360 Speaker 1: food heists are a thing was while working on an 28 00:01:45,360 --> 00:01:47,760 Speaker 1: old show here called House to Works Now. We did 29 00:01:47,800 --> 00:01:52,440 Speaker 1: this episode about avocado heists and I was just like 30 00:01:52,640 --> 00:01:57,480 Speaker 1: what And it was just the weirdest thing I had 31 00:01:57,520 --> 00:02:02,480 Speaker 1: read about that day. And that's an impressive at this 32 00:02:02,600 --> 00:02:06,600 Speaker 1: job very much. So yeah, yeah, I think Ben Boalin 33 00:02:06,720 --> 00:02:09,680 Speaker 1: turned it, turned me onto it a while back because 34 00:02:09,720 --> 00:02:12,799 Speaker 1: I just never I feel terrible saying I just never 35 00:02:12,800 --> 00:02:16,080 Speaker 1: really thought about it. But we've got a lot of 36 00:02:16,160 --> 00:02:23,400 Speaker 1: examples and we could have kept going maybe a part two. Yeah, Okay, 37 00:02:23,480 --> 00:02:26,959 Speaker 1: So in the meantime, let's get to our question food 38 00:02:27,000 --> 00:02:35,520 Speaker 1: iced what are they? Well, sometimes people steal stuff and 39 00:02:35,960 --> 00:02:40,280 Speaker 1: sometimes that stuff is food, and like we're not talking 40 00:02:40,320 --> 00:02:42,640 Speaker 1: about like Aladdin nabbing like a loaf of bread, so 41 00:02:42,680 --> 00:02:46,560 Speaker 1: that like him and a boo, don't starve. We are 42 00:02:46,639 --> 00:02:49,960 Speaker 1: talking crimes ranging from like a crime of opportunity, like 43 00:02:50,040 --> 00:02:52,200 Speaker 1: us see that trailer, I'm I'll steal it, to like 44 00:02:52,680 --> 00:02:57,640 Speaker 1: full on premeditated, highly orchestrated heists. Yes, some of which 45 00:02:57,639 --> 00:03:01,480 Speaker 1: go on for years, years, some of which are ongoing 46 00:03:01,560 --> 00:03:06,160 Speaker 1: now true. And this brings us back to nimes out too, 47 00:03:06,200 --> 00:03:11,720 Speaker 1: because when I was doing this research, there are agricultural detectives. Gosh, 48 00:03:11,840 --> 00:03:14,280 Speaker 1: yes there are, Okay, all right. Just to start with, 49 00:03:14,400 --> 00:03:17,400 Speaker 1: the United States Department of Agriculture has an Office of 50 00:03:17,440 --> 00:03:20,959 Speaker 1: Inspector General that employs about a hundred and thirty agents 51 00:03:21,000 --> 00:03:24,280 Speaker 1: around the country who investigate all kinds of crime related 52 00:03:24,280 --> 00:03:27,280 Speaker 1: to agriculture, from like fraud to animal abuse, to mismanagement 53 00:03:27,280 --> 00:03:30,960 Speaker 1: of federal funds, to like food safety issues to thievery. 54 00:03:31,200 --> 00:03:34,720 Speaker 1: On their career page, they say, think about the vast 55 00:03:34,760 --> 00:03:38,840 Speaker 1: interests of the United States and the global agricultural market imports, exports, 56 00:03:38,840 --> 00:03:41,880 Speaker 1: North America, South America, Europe, Africa, the Far East. The 57 00:03:41,960 --> 00:03:47,360 Speaker 1: sun never sets on U S d A. WHOA, I know, dramatic, 58 00:03:47,480 --> 00:03:51,400 Speaker 1: I love it, yes, um, and yeah, that is far 59 00:03:51,960 --> 00:03:54,640 Speaker 1: from all of the investigators who are working in the field. 60 00:03:54,760 --> 00:03:59,120 Speaker 1: Pun absolutely intended after I realized I'd made it. Um. Yeah, 61 00:03:59,160 --> 00:04:02,800 Speaker 1: there are private detectives available for higher states and counties 62 00:04:02,840 --> 00:04:05,400 Speaker 1: with a lot of business and agriculture often have specialized 63 00:04:05,400 --> 00:04:09,360 Speaker 1: departments within their law enforcement agencies. France's wine region has 64 00:04:09,480 --> 00:04:13,440 Speaker 1: environmental officers who patrol on horseback. That needs to be 65 00:04:13,480 --> 00:04:17,040 Speaker 1: a show right there, right, come on, Netflix, make it happen, 66 00:04:17,240 --> 00:04:20,920 Speaker 1: please forward for the good of all of us. One 67 00:04:21,400 --> 00:04:23,880 Speaker 1: private investigator who's who's really great with the press, pops 68 00:04:23,960 --> 00:04:25,880 Speaker 1: up in a lot of these articles and podcasts about 69 00:04:25,880 --> 00:04:27,919 Speaker 1: this sort of thing. Um. A Rocky Pipkin of the 70 00:04:28,000 --> 00:04:32,920 Speaker 1: Pipkin Detective Agency explained to the California Sunday Magazine why 71 00:04:33,040 --> 00:04:36,960 Speaker 1: he specializes in agricultural crime. And he points out that, 72 00:04:36,960 --> 00:04:40,880 Speaker 1: you know, like crops are plentiful and valuable and quote, 73 00:04:41,120 --> 00:04:45,599 Speaker 1: it's easy fence it. Everybody's got to eat. True, very true. 74 00:04:46,720 --> 00:04:49,520 Speaker 1: And we have some numbers for you. Boy, do I 75 00:04:49,520 --> 00:04:52,600 Speaker 1: mean this whole episode is a lot of numbers. This 76 00:04:52,720 --> 00:04:55,720 Speaker 1: is the number heavy episode. So food and drink not 77 00:04:55,760 --> 00:04:59,760 Speaker 1: including alcohol, account for twenty seven per cent of all 78 00:05:00,000 --> 00:05:02,560 Speaker 1: cargo heist And this is from a report compiled by 79 00:05:02,600 --> 00:05:06,440 Speaker 1: Freight Watch International. That's more than auto parts, electronics, and 80 00:05:06,440 --> 00:05:09,599 Speaker 1: pharmaceuticals put together. It makes up the most of any 81 00:05:09,760 --> 00:05:18,239 Speaker 1: one category. Yeah, that number jumped from yeah. From the report, 82 00:05:18,560 --> 00:05:22,839 Speaker 1: particularly stolen loads of nuts, seafood, candy, cookies and snacks, dairy, 83 00:05:22,839 --> 00:05:26,000 Speaker 1: and eggs and meat all more than doubled from spiking 84 00:05:26,040 --> 00:05:36,120 Speaker 1: on sevent and two hundred and seven, respectively. Two increase 85 00:05:36,360 --> 00:05:42,359 Speaker 1: in stolen loads of eggs. I think meat. Oh oh, meat, okay, okay. 86 00:05:42,400 --> 00:05:47,920 Speaker 1: I was like, either way, that makes more sense than eggs. 87 00:05:48,000 --> 00:05:50,240 Speaker 1: I'm like running through like supermarket sweep. In my head, 88 00:05:50,240 --> 00:05:52,360 Speaker 1: I'm like, how do you steal that many? They're so 89 00:05:52,440 --> 00:05:59,279 Speaker 1: delicate or not cool. One of the possible reasons cited 90 00:05:59,360 --> 00:06:04,120 Speaker 1: for this the general lower security around food cargo. Um, yeah, 91 00:06:04,160 --> 00:06:07,839 Speaker 1: but but these that's also happened on the farms themselves. 92 00:06:07,920 --> 00:06:11,200 Speaker 1: In California alone, the theft of crops, supplies, and equipment 93 00:06:11,480 --> 00:06:14,200 Speaker 1: results in an annual loss of thirty million dollars to 94 00:06:14,200 --> 00:06:19,200 Speaker 1: the States farmers annual um and according to San Benito 95 00:06:19,279 --> 00:06:23,360 Speaker 1: County's Office of Agricultural Investigations, only one in ten farm 96 00:06:23,480 --> 00:06:27,719 Speaker 1: crimes are reported, and nationwide annual losses run around a 97 00:06:27,839 --> 00:06:35,840 Speaker 1: billion dollars. The most often stolen food. Cheese doesn't surprise 98 00:06:35,920 --> 00:06:38,520 Speaker 1: me personally, but and He's like, if I were going 99 00:06:38,520 --> 00:06:42,680 Speaker 1: to get into food heist, I would totally steal cheese probably, 100 00:06:42,720 --> 00:06:46,120 Speaker 1: although I you know, my laziness would compete with my 101 00:06:46,200 --> 00:06:48,840 Speaker 1: love of cheese because I don't want to do anything refrigerated. 102 00:06:49,240 --> 00:06:53,600 Speaker 1: Oh yeah, but I would ever clearly not. I haven't 103 00:06:53,600 --> 00:06:57,280 Speaker 1: put a lot of thought to it or anything. After 104 00:06:57,400 --> 00:07:00,240 Speaker 1: almost five million pounds as in the monetary unit of 105 00:07:00,240 --> 00:07:03,040 Speaker 1: the British minetary unit of cheese were listed as stolen 106 00:07:03,040 --> 00:07:08,040 Speaker 1: in the UK alone. One report labeled them a high 107 00:07:08,279 --> 00:07:11,640 Speaker 1: risk food and one thing I read in The Atlantic 108 00:07:11,680 --> 00:07:15,520 Speaker 1: claimed that four percent of all cheese produced will end 109 00:07:15,560 --> 00:07:22,480 Speaker 1: up stolen. That is statistically significant, very much. Uh yeah. 110 00:07:22,520 --> 00:07:24,200 Speaker 1: That that that piece in the Atlantic, by the way, 111 00:07:24,280 --> 00:07:27,600 Speaker 1: is uh partially is a partial transcript of an episode 112 00:07:27,600 --> 00:07:30,400 Speaker 1: of Gastropod, which if you haven't listened to go check 113 00:07:30,400 --> 00:07:32,560 Speaker 1: it out. It's really great. Yes, yeah, very helpful for 114 00:07:32,600 --> 00:07:35,560 Speaker 1: this episode it was. And uh and Rocky is is 115 00:07:35,840 --> 00:07:42,120 Speaker 1: a guest on there, so yes, um so yeah. Um. 116 00:07:42,120 --> 00:07:44,560 Speaker 1: We've got like not really like a history, just like 117 00:07:44,600 --> 00:07:53,080 Speaker 1: a I mean some history, but more examples examples galore. Yes, Um, 118 00:07:53,120 --> 00:07:54,640 Speaker 1: and we will get into that as soon as we 119 00:07:54,640 --> 00:07:56,080 Speaker 1: get back from a quick break for a word from 120 00:07:56,080 --> 00:08:08,240 Speaker 1: our sponsor, and we're back, Thank you sponsor, Yes, thank you, 121 00:08:08,560 --> 00:08:11,120 Speaker 1: and yes, so one disclaimer before we get started. As 122 00:08:11,120 --> 00:08:12,920 Speaker 1: we said at the top, a lot of these stories 123 00:08:12,960 --> 00:08:18,840 Speaker 1: are on the surface, super fun, funny, rife for penny headlines. Yeah, 124 00:08:20,000 --> 00:08:23,440 Speaker 1: but under the service maybe not so much. Yeah, it's 125 00:08:23,440 --> 00:08:26,600 Speaker 1: a very serious topic. Yes, maybe drugs are involved or 126 00:08:26,680 --> 00:08:29,440 Speaker 1: other crimes. We're not gonna go too much into that 127 00:08:29,440 --> 00:08:31,920 Speaker 1: that particular aspect of it in this episode unless it's 128 00:08:31,960 --> 00:08:35,400 Speaker 1: really relevant to the whole food stealing part of it, right, Yeah, 129 00:08:35,520 --> 00:08:38,360 Speaker 1: but um, but yeah, it really is. Um A lot 130 00:08:38,360 --> 00:08:40,920 Speaker 1: of the time is involved with other types of organized 131 00:08:40,960 --> 00:08:45,520 Speaker 1: crime and uh, potential violence and you know, like not desperation, 132 00:08:45,600 --> 00:08:48,520 Speaker 1: bad bad times exactly, and we don't want to trivialize 133 00:08:48,520 --> 00:08:51,920 Speaker 1: those things. Millions of dollars are lost. Again, it often 134 00:08:52,000 --> 00:08:55,439 Speaker 1: hurts farmers and laborers. One sheriff out of California that's 135 00:08:55,440 --> 00:08:57,839 Speaker 1: had to deal with a lot of almond theft said, 136 00:08:57,960 --> 00:09:00,760 Speaker 1: I think it's an economic act of terrorism. It impacts 137 00:09:00,800 --> 00:09:07,400 Speaker 1: us fiscally at so many levels. Yes, So disclaimer there, absolutely, 138 00:09:07,640 --> 00:09:11,720 Speaker 1: let's talk about cheese because, as we said, it is 139 00:09:11,760 --> 00:09:14,600 Speaker 1: one of the most, if not the most stolen product 140 00:09:14,920 --> 00:09:18,520 Speaker 1: it comes to food. Yes, all right, more specifically in 141 00:09:18,600 --> 00:09:23,600 Speaker 1: this first example, cheese car chase, cheese car chase. Yes. 142 00:09:23,920 --> 00:09:26,240 Speaker 1: In two tho nine, in a two thousand nine case 143 00:09:26,280 --> 00:09:28,240 Speaker 1: out of New Zealand, a couple fled the police with 144 00:09:28,320 --> 00:09:32,520 Speaker 1: twenty one blocks of stolen cheddar cheese. During the pursuit, 145 00:09:32,880 --> 00:09:35,720 Speaker 1: blocks of cheese went flying, making it certainly one of 146 00:09:35,720 --> 00:09:39,520 Speaker 1: the most interesting car chases I've ever read about. Yes, 147 00:09:39,960 --> 00:09:42,840 Speaker 1: but that's one of our very smallest like like like 148 00:09:43,000 --> 00:09:47,640 Speaker 1: number of things stolen examples very much so yeah. Um. 149 00:09:47,679 --> 00:09:53,560 Speaker 1: In Florida, someone stole a trailer containing dollars worth of 150 00:09:53,600 --> 00:09:57,720 Speaker 1: mozzarella um, destined for a hungry how He's Pizza distribution center. 151 00:09:57,960 --> 00:09:59,720 Speaker 1: The driver was like having a mechanic check out the 152 00:09:59,720 --> 00:10:03,760 Speaker 1: truck and someone made off with the trailer. Oh yeah. 153 00:10:03,840 --> 00:10:07,200 Speaker 1: In France, and a group of mysterious thieves stole forty 154 00:10:07,320 --> 00:10:10,959 Speaker 1: three thousand dollars worth of compete. That's about four tons 155 00:10:11,000 --> 00:10:16,480 Speaker 1: of cheese. Ah. Another cheese has took place in Wisconsin, 156 00:10:17,480 --> 00:10:20,960 Speaker 1: Illinois man attempted to abscond with an eighteen wheeler semi 157 00:10:21,040 --> 00:10:26,640 Speaker 1: full of munster after he presented falsified documents. Yeah, about 158 00:10:26,679 --> 00:10:29,760 Speaker 1: two hundred thousand dollars worth of cheese that the thief 159 00:10:29,800 --> 00:10:31,720 Speaker 1: meant for the black market, which is where a lot 160 00:10:31,720 --> 00:10:35,720 Speaker 1: of this ends up pounds. While the cheese was recovered, 161 00:10:35,720 --> 00:10:38,720 Speaker 1: the company couldn't immediately prove it hadn't been tampered with, 162 00:10:38,800 --> 00:10:41,280 Speaker 1: so they planned on testing it and donating it to 163 00:10:41,320 --> 00:10:45,920 Speaker 1: a charity if it passed the health inspections. Yeah. Um, 164 00:10:46,160 --> 00:10:49,800 Speaker 1: lots of cheese crime in Wisconsin, which I guess makes sense. Um, 165 00:10:50,120 --> 00:10:55,520 Speaker 1: in a trailer containing seventy thousand pounds of cheese was stolen. 166 00:10:55,559 --> 00:10:58,120 Speaker 1: And this this cheese had a wild day okay, like 167 00:10:58,200 --> 00:11:01,000 Speaker 1: it was stolen just after midnight the who tractor than 168 00:11:01,160 --> 00:11:04,400 Speaker 1: the thieves took the cheese and abandoned the trailer, but 169 00:11:04,520 --> 00:11:08,240 Speaker 1: the goods were recovered later that evening. That is a 170 00:11:08,280 --> 00:11:11,880 Speaker 1: wild wild night indeed. Oh Um. In the same week, though, 171 00:11:11,920 --> 00:11:15,240 Speaker 1: criminals made off with nine pounds of parmesan from a 172 00:11:15,280 --> 00:11:22,800 Speaker 1: Wisconsin warehouse. Dang, I know and who parmesan? Okay? Parmesan 173 00:11:23,400 --> 00:11:26,600 Speaker 1: cheese production in itself is a fascinating world that we're 174 00:11:26,640 --> 00:11:29,800 Speaker 1: gonna have to do a whole episode on and especially 175 00:11:29,800 --> 00:11:34,080 Speaker 1: the business of it because while UM new wheels are aging, 176 00:11:34,360 --> 00:11:38,200 Speaker 1: cheesemakers sometimes leverage loans to keep their business going with 177 00:11:38,280 --> 00:11:42,360 Speaker 1: actual wheels of cheese like some Italian banks, except wheels 178 00:11:42,360 --> 00:11:47,200 Speaker 1: of parmesan. That is amazing, yes, whoa. But because these 179 00:11:47,200 --> 00:11:49,760 Speaker 1: things are worth so much money, UM, there have been 180 00:11:49,760 --> 00:11:52,559 Speaker 1: ongoing problems with theft UM. A single wheel is worth 181 00:11:52,600 --> 00:11:56,600 Speaker 1: about six d bucks and since each wheel weighs like 182 00:11:56,720 --> 00:11:59,120 Speaker 1: forty kilos about ninety pounds, like, you've got to do 183 00:11:59,160 --> 00:12:01,439 Speaker 1: some planning if you're going to make off with a 184 00:12:01,480 --> 00:12:05,040 Speaker 1: small fortunes worth. But folks do it. Just one instance 185 00:12:05,040 --> 00:12:08,280 Speaker 1: in six saw a hundred and fifty wheels taken from 186 00:12:08,280 --> 00:12:13,560 Speaker 1: a warehouse outside of Parma Um between sixteen in total, 187 00:12:14,040 --> 00:12:17,280 Speaker 1: fifteen thousand wheels were stolen, worth a total of some 188 00:12:17,679 --> 00:12:23,560 Speaker 1: six million euros. That makes my stomach ur. This is 189 00:12:23,600 --> 00:12:25,120 Speaker 1: one time where I really wish we had like a 190 00:12:25,240 --> 00:12:28,120 Speaker 1: visual aspect of this podcast because the looks on our 191 00:12:28,200 --> 00:12:33,720 Speaker 1: face this is just horn and sad horn shock UM. 192 00:12:33,760 --> 00:12:38,319 Speaker 1: A single gang of eleven perpetrators UM have been arrested 193 00:12:38,440 --> 00:12:42,760 Speaker 1: for making off with two thousand and thirty nine wheels 194 00:12:42,800 --> 00:12:47,120 Speaker 1: of parmesan between that is eight hundred and seventy five 195 00:12:47,160 --> 00:12:52,520 Speaker 1: thousand dollars worth. Ah, oh my gosh, whof that is 196 00:12:52,559 --> 00:12:56,040 Speaker 1: a lot of cheese. It's not a little bit of cheese. No, 197 00:12:56,400 --> 00:13:00,160 Speaker 1: But now we're going to move away from cheese into 198 00:13:00,160 --> 00:13:03,840 Speaker 1: produce and farmed goods. Yes, And I wanted to kick 199 00:13:03,880 --> 00:13:07,200 Speaker 1: this section off with another car chase. Um a police 200 00:13:07,280 --> 00:13:11,240 Speaker 1: chase in a Seville, Spain ended with thousands of pounds 201 00:13:11,280 --> 00:13:15,320 Speaker 1: of oranges spilling dramatically from two robbers cars when they 202 00:13:15,320 --> 00:13:18,840 Speaker 1: were finally stopped and apprehended, Like just the cars, like 203 00:13:18,840 --> 00:13:21,120 Speaker 1: they were like little sedans and they were just filled 204 00:13:21,440 --> 00:13:24,640 Speaker 1: with Seville oranges. Yeah, that feels like it should be 205 00:13:24,679 --> 00:13:27,439 Speaker 1: in a movie. Maybe it already has. But remember when 206 00:13:27,440 --> 00:13:34,920 Speaker 1: we did oranges and they symbolize like B. And then 207 00:13:34,960 --> 00:13:38,959 Speaker 1: we gotta talk about walnuts. In eighty thousand pounds of 208 00:13:39,000 --> 00:13:43,920 Speaker 1: walnuts worth about three thousand dollars were stolen in northern California. 209 00:13:44,320 --> 00:13:47,360 Speaker 1: This is one of several walnut thefts in that state, 210 00:13:47,400 --> 00:13:50,000 Speaker 1: and thanks to an increasing demand for walnuts coming from 211 00:13:50,080 --> 00:13:53,480 Speaker 1: Asia coupled with a decrease in trees, this has led 212 00:13:53,520 --> 00:13:59,200 Speaker 1: to a rise in walnut theft there's apparently organized macadamia 213 00:13:59,280 --> 00:14:01,560 Speaker 1: nut crime in South Africa, and I'm shocked that this 214 00:14:01,600 --> 00:14:04,640 Speaker 1: didn't come up when we were researching macadamia nuts. But um, 215 00:14:04,640 --> 00:14:09,000 Speaker 1: but losses equalled over ten million American dollars per year 216 00:14:09,080 --> 00:14:13,120 Speaker 1: as of UM, like eight to fifteent of the yearly 217 00:14:13,160 --> 00:14:16,200 Speaker 1: crop of macadamia nuts. They're go missing and it is 218 00:14:16,240 --> 00:14:18,480 Speaker 1: some kind of inside job because the nuts are entering 219 00:14:18,520 --> 00:14:24,760 Speaker 1: the legit markets somehow. WHOA yeah, and then Sten, we 220 00:14:24,920 --> 00:14:28,360 Speaker 1: have avocado theft. New Zealand had a huge increase in that, 221 00:14:28,680 --> 00:14:32,960 Speaker 1: like forty large scale heist driven by growing international demand, 222 00:14:33,560 --> 00:14:37,000 Speaker 1: growing demand and also UM price surges due to poor 223 00:14:37,040 --> 00:14:41,400 Speaker 1: conditions resulting in smaller harvests. Avocado black markets pop up 224 00:14:41,720 --> 00:14:45,160 Speaker 1: pretty much wherever the fruit is grown. UM, and changing 225 00:14:45,160 --> 00:14:48,600 Speaker 1: weather patterns do in part to climate change, really fuel 226 00:14:48,680 --> 00:14:53,040 Speaker 1: that black market. UM. Yeah. In in for example, UM, 227 00:14:53,400 --> 00:14:56,080 Speaker 1: two thieves were questioned by police when they were found 228 00:14:56,360 --> 00:14:59,880 Speaker 1: near an orchard carrying just dove covers stuffed with all 229 00:14:59,920 --> 00:15:03,840 Speaker 1: acados like four thousand three dollars worth of avocados. In 230 00:15:03,920 --> 00:15:06,720 Speaker 1: a New York Times article about this entire thing, UM, 231 00:15:06,760 --> 00:15:10,200 Speaker 1: New Zealand's coordinator of Community policing. One Alistair McMillan is 232 00:15:10,240 --> 00:15:13,480 Speaker 1: quoted saying it's not like cannabis where people can say 233 00:15:13,480 --> 00:15:16,000 Speaker 1: it was for their own personal use. It's clearly not 234 00:15:16,040 --> 00:15:18,000 Speaker 1: for their own consumption. You can only put so much 235 00:15:18,000 --> 00:15:24,000 Speaker 1: avocado on your burger or in your sushi. True, I 236 00:15:24,040 --> 00:15:27,840 Speaker 1: think it might be more than estimated in some cases, 237 00:15:27,920 --> 00:15:32,840 Speaker 1: but true, I see the point. Yes, um yeah, gosh, 238 00:15:32,880 --> 00:15:35,720 Speaker 1: whole whole whole episode on avocados, like soon. Yeah, that's 239 00:15:35,720 --> 00:15:37,560 Speaker 1: been on our to do list for a long time. 240 00:15:37,760 --> 00:15:41,320 Speaker 1: It has. This one kind of surprised me. After prices 241 00:15:41,320 --> 00:15:44,560 Speaker 1: surge due to a bad harvest in Mexico, a group 242 00:15:44,600 --> 00:15:48,400 Speaker 1: of these pill for three hundred thousand dollars worth of tomatoes, 243 00:15:48,880 --> 00:15:53,160 Speaker 1: six tractor loads. Yeah that's a lot of tomato, it 244 00:15:53,240 --> 00:15:57,040 Speaker 1: really is. Um yeah, but but yeah, some some of 245 00:15:57,040 --> 00:16:01,000 Speaker 1: these large scale things in produce really are so surprising 246 00:16:01,000 --> 00:16:03,280 Speaker 1: to me and um. For example, in twenty eighteen, thieves 247 00:16:03,280 --> 00:16:07,280 Speaker 1: in Germany used professional harvesting equipment to strip a vineyard 248 00:16:07,480 --> 00:16:12,000 Speaker 1: of thirty five pounds of reasoning grapes basically it's whole crop, 249 00:16:12,320 --> 00:16:15,320 Speaker 1: and made off with them in a single afternoon. And 250 00:16:15,360 --> 00:16:18,640 Speaker 1: police expect rival winemaker because they targeted the vines with 251 00:16:18,680 --> 00:16:20,560 Speaker 1: the grapes that were just at the peak of rice. 252 00:16:21,760 --> 00:16:25,320 Speaker 1: They knew a similar operation the same year in Virginia 253 00:16:25,480 --> 00:16:28,600 Speaker 1: made off with five thousand pounds of grapes and in 254 00:16:29,880 --> 00:16:33,720 Speaker 1: a number of robberies resulted in almost sixteen thousand pounds 255 00:16:33,720 --> 00:16:37,720 Speaker 1: of Bordeaux grapes going missing. Um after a few consecutive 256 00:16:37,720 --> 00:16:41,000 Speaker 1: poor growing seasons. And this this is where I started 257 00:16:41,040 --> 00:16:44,400 Speaker 1: to go like, oh, oh, we're talking about the worst thing, 258 00:16:44,480 --> 00:16:46,440 Speaker 1: and it's making this sad. And I thought this was 259 00:16:46,480 --> 00:16:49,680 Speaker 1: gonna be a fun mark, but it's it is so 260 00:16:49,760 --> 00:16:53,840 Speaker 1: tragic because just it seems like because it's it's just 261 00:16:53,920 --> 00:16:57,920 Speaker 1: clearly these are the actions of rival winemakers who are desperate. 262 00:16:58,000 --> 00:17:03,960 Speaker 1: They just don't have product and they're desperate. Right, yeah, back, 263 00:17:04,119 --> 00:17:07,639 Speaker 1: We're currently working on episode on Caviar, which we'll get 264 00:17:07,680 --> 00:17:12,040 Speaker 1: doing a second but a similar things, similar thing, but 265 00:17:12,119 --> 00:17:15,080 Speaker 1: right now, let's talk about maple syrup. Oh yeah, this 266 00:17:15,160 --> 00:17:17,040 Speaker 1: did come up in our maple syrup episode, but it's 267 00:17:17,040 --> 00:17:19,920 Speaker 1: too big a thing not to mention. Again. Thieves in 268 00:17:20,000 --> 00:17:23,920 Speaker 1: Quebec stole millions of dollars of maple syrup from a warehouse, 269 00:17:23,960 --> 00:17:28,760 Speaker 1: about six million pounds total. Yes, all the syrup in 270 00:17:28,880 --> 00:17:32,360 Speaker 1: that specific warehouse accounts for or it did in twelve 271 00:17:32,880 --> 00:17:35,840 Speaker 1: one tenth of their harvest that year, a value of 272 00:17:35,880 --> 00:17:40,800 Speaker 1: about thirty million Canadian dollars. Around of the syrup was 273 00:17:40,880 --> 00:17:46,080 Speaker 1: eventually recovered. Yes, police suspect this was an ongoing operation, 274 00:17:46,160 --> 00:17:49,240 Speaker 1: resulting in at least eighteen million dollars worth of stolen 275 00:17:49,280 --> 00:17:51,840 Speaker 1: product from twelve. That's why some of the numbers when 276 00:17:51,840 --> 00:17:54,040 Speaker 1: you're looking at this one in specific or a little hazy, 277 00:17:54,080 --> 00:17:56,400 Speaker 1: because apparently it was going on for about a year. 278 00:17:56,880 --> 00:18:00,680 Speaker 1: Twenty six people have been arrested for their involvement. Up 279 00:18:00,720 --> 00:18:04,560 Speaker 1: the thieves rented space in that same warehouse and siphoned 280 00:18:04,560 --> 00:18:07,160 Speaker 1: off syrup while guards weren't around, and sometimes they replaced 281 00:18:07,160 --> 00:18:11,359 Speaker 1: the missing syrup with water. And reminder, one barrel of 282 00:18:11,359 --> 00:18:15,000 Speaker 1: maple syrup can be worth thirteen times that of crude oil. 283 00:18:16,200 --> 00:18:24,160 Speaker 1: Also reminder Quebec has that strategic emergency maple syrup. Yes, 284 00:18:24,760 --> 00:18:27,359 Speaker 1: and then honey. Honey has been at the center of 285 00:18:27,480 --> 00:18:29,800 Speaker 1: multiple food highest We did touch on some of those 286 00:18:29,800 --> 00:18:34,440 Speaker 1: as well in our Honey episodes. Took place in England 287 00:18:34,560 --> 00:18:37,600 Speaker 1: when thieves took off with over one jars of manuka honey, 288 00:18:37,600 --> 00:18:41,600 Speaker 1: which is very expensive stuff. In response, at least one 289 00:18:41,800 --> 00:18:45,600 Speaker 1: shopkeeper interviewed about all this started putting security dagging on 290 00:18:45,640 --> 00:18:49,440 Speaker 1: their product of Manuka honey. Oh makes perfect sense, Yeah, 291 00:18:49,480 --> 00:18:51,399 Speaker 1: it really does if you think about how much it's worth. 292 00:18:51,520 --> 00:18:53,520 Speaker 1: And yeah, I mean if you have if you have 293 00:18:53,520 --> 00:18:56,080 Speaker 1: a security tag on like a razor blade pack, then 294 00:18:56,560 --> 00:19:00,320 Speaker 1: come on, come on yea um. But yeah, sometimes whole 295 00:19:00,359 --> 00:19:04,320 Speaker 1: hives are stolen um in South Africa, thieves have taken hives, 296 00:19:04,600 --> 00:19:06,720 Speaker 1: whole hives and cut the comb out to harvest the 297 00:19:06,720 --> 00:19:13,560 Speaker 1: honey for quick saleh But hey, let's talk about meat. 298 00:19:14,280 --> 00:19:16,720 Speaker 1: Let's talk about meat, because it's gotten got up in 299 00:19:16,760 --> 00:19:20,320 Speaker 1: a few heist as well. One took place in Canada 300 00:19:21,160 --> 00:19:24,080 Speaker 1: when police were on the hunt for forty thousand pounds 301 00:19:24,200 --> 00:19:28,160 Speaker 1: or eighteen thou kis of stolen beef. The stolen product 302 00:19:28,240 --> 00:19:31,520 Speaker 1: was worth upwards of one hundred thousand dollars and it 303 00:19:31,600 --> 00:19:35,160 Speaker 1: was never found. Yes, this is not the first case 304 00:19:35,240 --> 00:19:38,359 Speaker 1: of meat theft in Canada five bar but it is 305 00:19:38,560 --> 00:19:43,280 Speaker 1: one of the largest. In another meat hi, criminals stole 306 00:19:43,359 --> 00:19:46,679 Speaker 1: container of hamburger meat valued around one hundred thousand from 307 00:19:46,720 --> 00:19:49,480 Speaker 1: a shipp yard in New Jersey. The thieves were never 308 00:19:49,600 --> 00:19:53,960 Speaker 1: apprehended and the meat never recovered. Yep. And then there 309 00:19:54,000 --> 00:19:58,600 Speaker 1: was a shrimp heist in Miami where a man stole 310 00:19:58,640 --> 00:20:02,399 Speaker 1: and re sold one hundred and fifty eight thousand dollars 311 00:20:02,400 --> 00:20:11,359 Speaker 1: worth of shrimp for yeah. Yeah. And then let's let's 312 00:20:11,359 --> 00:20:14,840 Speaker 1: look inward at our hometown of Atlanta. Who's gotten caught 313 00:20:14,880 --> 00:20:17,000 Speaker 1: up in a few of these, including that Coca Cola 314 00:20:17,119 --> 00:20:20,840 Speaker 1: one that we mentioned at the top. And we also 315 00:20:20,880 --> 00:20:23,840 Speaker 1: got to talk about one of Atlanta's favorite foods, chicken 316 00:20:23,880 --> 00:20:29,320 Speaker 1: wings during the Super Bowl chicken wings shortage, which is 317 00:20:29,359 --> 00:20:31,760 Speaker 1: a yearly thing. It happens every year. Yeah, yeah, yeah. 318 00:20:32,040 --> 00:20:34,560 Speaker 1: See our chicken wing episode when we're on that. Two 319 00:20:34,680 --> 00:20:39,320 Speaker 1: thieves in Atlanta stole sixty five thousand dollars worth of 320 00:20:39,320 --> 00:20:43,880 Speaker 1: Tyson frozen chicken wings, about twenty six thousand pounds. They 321 00:20:43,880 --> 00:20:47,159 Speaker 1: pulled this off during broad daylight, using a forklift to 322 00:20:47,200 --> 00:20:50,040 Speaker 1: remove a crate of wings from a truck. They were 323 00:20:50,119 --> 00:20:54,080 Speaker 1: later caught and charged with the wings never recovered. And 324 00:20:54,119 --> 00:20:58,320 Speaker 1: then yes, a lot of headlines with foul play in 325 00:20:58,440 --> 00:21:02,240 Speaker 1: them ensued. I'm telling you, if you want to our 326 00:21:02,359 --> 00:21:04,639 Speaker 1: puns like they put us to shame, look into some 327 00:21:04,720 --> 00:21:08,920 Speaker 1: of these, and we seem very tape, It's all I'm saying. 328 00:21:10,000 --> 00:21:13,520 Speaker 1: And then we have a father and son doo that 329 00:21:13,600 --> 00:21:16,840 Speaker 1: they made off with about forty thousand dollars of chicken wings, 330 00:21:16,840 --> 00:21:19,640 Speaker 1: also from a restaurant that they worked in in Syracuse 331 00:21:19,920 --> 00:21:25,320 Speaker 1: in Yeah, inside jobs, inside jobs. But yeah, a few 332 00:21:25,320 --> 00:21:30,240 Speaker 1: of these seem to be that, yeah, including some of 333 00:21:30,240 --> 00:21:32,239 Speaker 1: the next ones we're going to talk about. In the 334 00:21:32,280 --> 00:21:38,119 Speaker 1: booze category. Yes, on Christmas Day, thieves made off with 335 00:21:38,240 --> 00:21:43,240 Speaker 1: seventy six bottles retailing around three hundred thousand dollars of 336 00:21:43,400 --> 00:21:47,440 Speaker 1: wine from the wine seller of California restaurant French Laundry. 337 00:21:48,240 --> 00:21:50,880 Speaker 1: Seventy two of the bottles were eventually recovered a couple 338 00:21:50,880 --> 00:21:53,600 Speaker 1: of months later in North Carolina, and the owner, yes, 339 00:21:53,760 --> 00:21:56,879 Speaker 1: suspected it may have been an inside job, Yeah, because 340 00:21:56,920 --> 00:21:59,719 Speaker 1: they went for the most expensive bottles, like rare Burgundies 341 00:21:59,760 --> 00:22:02,560 Speaker 1: and doze, a dozen bottles of burgundy from the same 342 00:22:02,600 --> 00:22:06,000 Speaker 1: producer went for over forty seven thousand dollars at auction. 343 00:22:07,040 --> 00:22:10,159 Speaker 1: Twelve bottles forty seven thou dollars. This is the level 344 00:22:10,320 --> 00:22:14,240 Speaker 1: of wine price that we're talking about them stealing, um, 345 00:22:14,280 --> 00:22:16,520 Speaker 1: and it was certainly well planned. Um. They conducted the 346 00:22:16,600 --> 00:22:19,679 Speaker 1: robbery the day after the restaurant closed for renovation that 347 00:22:19,720 --> 00:22:23,640 Speaker 1: was going to take months, and some of the perpetrators 348 00:22:23,680 --> 00:22:26,600 Speaker 1: are still in the loose. Two were caught. UM. They 349 00:22:26,600 --> 00:22:29,320 Speaker 1: were also involved in a wine heist from another California restaurant, 350 00:22:29,320 --> 00:22:33,320 Speaker 1: Alexander Steakhouse where thirty two tho dollars UM and from 351 00:22:33,359 --> 00:22:37,640 Speaker 1: a San Francisco store Warehouse Fine Wines International, worth two 352 00:22:38,119 --> 00:22:41,600 Speaker 1: nine thousand dollars. In the end, the two thieves who 353 00:22:41,600 --> 00:22:44,399 Speaker 1: were caught got caught because of the value of the wines. 354 00:22:44,520 --> 00:22:46,760 Speaker 1: Like at a certain level, UM, the producers of these 355 00:22:46,760 --> 00:22:49,280 Speaker 1: wines only make a certain number of bottles per year. Yeah, 356 00:22:49,320 --> 00:22:52,280 Speaker 1: and they're only sold by certain dealers, and people who 357 00:22:52,280 --> 00:22:54,600 Speaker 1: are in the market for this kind of thing know this, 358 00:22:54,880 --> 00:22:56,760 Speaker 1: and they know each other, and they hear about these 359 00:22:56,800 --> 00:23:01,120 Speaker 1: heists when they happen. So a suspicious buyer reported these 360 00:23:01,160 --> 00:23:04,000 Speaker 1: bottles that he had bought, and the investigators traced the 361 00:23:04,000 --> 00:23:11,399 Speaker 1: thieves through a broker Hoof Hoof. Indeed, in a gang 362 00:23:11,440 --> 00:23:15,399 Speaker 1: of ten people were arrested in Italy UM for allegedly 363 00:23:15,560 --> 00:23:20,760 Speaker 1: stealing sixteen thousand bottles of wine and a hundred and 364 00:23:20,800 --> 00:23:24,200 Speaker 1: sixty eight wheels of parmesan, worth a total of around 365 00:23:24,240 --> 00:23:27,040 Speaker 1: two hundred and fifty thousand dollars over the course of 366 00:23:27,080 --> 00:23:30,800 Speaker 1: two years. Like police and local prosecutors worked together to 367 00:23:30,920 --> 00:23:35,800 Speaker 1: set up a sting. My brain is having trouble. These 368 00:23:35,880 --> 00:23:38,520 Speaker 1: numbers are so big. Yeah, yeah, Like, I don't know 369 00:23:38,560 --> 00:23:40,159 Speaker 1: how much money that is, but that's a heck and 370 00:23:40,160 --> 00:23:44,119 Speaker 1: a lot of wine, a lot of flying, that is 371 00:23:44,200 --> 00:23:48,560 Speaker 1: for sure. On the less classy side, a thief in 372 00:23:48,680 --> 00:23:52,919 Speaker 1: Orlando stole a checker's new rig and its contents forty 373 00:23:53,000 --> 00:23:57,280 Speaker 1: four thousand pounds of Miller High Life. Yep, that's about 374 00:23:57,359 --> 00:24:00,680 Speaker 1: thirty two dollars worth of beer. Oh my gosh. Good news, 375 00:24:00,720 --> 00:24:03,440 Speaker 1: though the cargo was located soon after and the chucker's 376 00:24:03,520 --> 00:24:05,240 Speaker 1: rig returned to him. And this story is actually really 377 00:24:05,240 --> 00:24:07,919 Speaker 1: moving because he was so it was his new rig, like, 378 00:24:07,960 --> 00:24:09,800 Speaker 1: I'm just trying to make a living, and this is 379 00:24:09,840 --> 00:24:12,439 Speaker 1: so devastating for me that they found it and it 380 00:24:12,480 --> 00:24:15,560 Speaker 1: was returned to him. Um. This is on the hills 381 00:24:16,080 --> 00:24:20,480 Speaker 1: of several stolen semi trucks in the Orlando area, one 382 00:24:20,520 --> 00:24:24,680 Speaker 1: containing slim Fast, another Hershey chocolate, and yet another containing 383 00:24:24,720 --> 00:24:28,680 Speaker 1: one eighty thousand eggs. And according to mental floss. I 384 00:24:28,720 --> 00:24:31,720 Speaker 1: couldn't really find this anywhere else. Another Orlando case a 385 00:24:31,720 --> 00:24:33,879 Speaker 1: bit earlier in two thousand nine saw the loss of 386 00:24:34,040 --> 00:24:38,560 Speaker 1: six thousand cheesecakes lifted from a refrigerated rig estimated value 387 00:24:38,800 --> 00:24:41,280 Speaker 1: for dollars. This was a big deal in Orlando that 388 00:24:41,520 --> 00:24:47,120 Speaker 1: they were like, we've got to find out what. Yeah, 389 00:24:47,160 --> 00:24:51,879 Speaker 1: and then okay, we've talked before about the expensive and 390 00:24:52,040 --> 00:24:56,720 Speaker 1: highly sought after bourbon Happy van Winkle. This is old 391 00:24:56,840 --> 00:25:02,040 Speaker 1: Rip Van Winkle Distillery bourbon, and it has huge following 392 00:25:02,440 --> 00:25:06,000 Speaker 1: and a very limited supply. Yep. Some bottles go for 393 00:25:06,200 --> 00:25:09,320 Speaker 1: one thousand, five hundred dollars and some barrels go for 394 00:25:09,359 --> 00:25:12,760 Speaker 1: five thousand dollars on eBay. There's even a wait list 395 00:25:13,280 --> 00:25:19,000 Speaker 1: and it's reached over ten years on occasion. And uh, 396 00:25:19,040 --> 00:25:22,639 Speaker 1: if that's not for you, there's also an app called 397 00:25:22,680 --> 00:25:28,480 Speaker 1: Pappy Tracker, So as popular is the point we're making. Yes, 398 00:25:29,240 --> 00:25:32,960 Speaker 1: a syndicate of nine thieves out of Kentucky stole one 399 00:25:33,040 --> 00:25:37,080 Speaker 1: hundred thousand dollars worth of Pappy. The authorities eventually caught 400 00:25:37,119 --> 00:25:40,359 Speaker 1: them and recovered eighteen barrels, one of them worth eleven 401 00:25:40,400 --> 00:25:45,160 Speaker 1: thousand dollars and twenty five bottles of Pappy. Thirteen cases 402 00:25:45,480 --> 00:25:48,760 Speaker 1: were not found, and as far back as two thousand eight, 403 00:25:48,840 --> 00:25:53,200 Speaker 1: this syndicate had been behind several large scale bourbon robberies, 404 00:25:53,400 --> 00:25:57,199 Speaker 1: including a robbery of about twenty five thousand dollars of 405 00:25:57,359 --> 00:26:01,320 Speaker 1: Pappy old Rip van Winkle Distill your President, Julian P. 406 00:26:01,640 --> 00:26:04,919 Speaker 1: Van Winkle. The third claims that at least in the 407 00:26:04,960 --> 00:26:08,040 Speaker 1: following year after that first case, we mentioned pretty much 408 00:26:08,200 --> 00:26:11,400 Speaker 1: everyone he spoke to asked him if he had located 409 00:26:11,440 --> 00:26:17,600 Speaker 1: the missing bourbon. Yeah. Yeah. And then coming back to 410 00:26:17,640 --> 00:26:21,760 Speaker 1: Atlanta for a second, and about nine dollars worth of 411 00:26:21,800 --> 00:26:26,560 Speaker 1: our local brewery, Sweetwaters beer went missing too, whole flat bits. 412 00:26:27,160 --> 00:26:29,639 Speaker 1: The police found a good chunk of it in less 413 00:26:29,640 --> 00:26:33,720 Speaker 1: than an hour thanks to the GPS. Yeah, Sweetwater hired 414 00:26:33,760 --> 00:26:37,080 Speaker 1: a private investigator to locate the rest. That sounds very 415 00:26:37,160 --> 00:26:40,159 Speaker 1: much like them, honestly, and the beer was recovered in 416 00:26:40,440 --> 00:26:44,120 Speaker 1: less than a day. Unfortunately it all had to be destroyed. 417 00:26:45,320 --> 00:26:50,760 Speaker 1: Yeah again, going back to safety safe Yeah sure uh. 418 00:26:51,000 --> 00:26:59,000 Speaker 1: And then perhaps just the most unintentionally hilarious category packaged goods. Indeed, 419 00:26:59,720 --> 00:27:04,200 Speaker 1: so we'll start with the town I cannot ever pronounce, 420 00:27:04,280 --> 00:27:09,439 Speaker 1: but I try my best in thieves in What's Just Shirt, 421 00:27:10,920 --> 00:27:15,040 Speaker 1: Thank You cut into the side of a parked truck 422 00:27:15,320 --> 00:27:18,359 Speaker 1: and made off with six thousand, four hundred tens of 423 00:27:18,520 --> 00:27:24,200 Speaker 1: Haines baked beans worth about ten thousand dollars. Wow. Yeah, 424 00:27:24,280 --> 00:27:27,320 Speaker 1: I have to say I wasn't expecting Heinz big beans 425 00:27:28,200 --> 00:27:31,400 Speaker 1: in the food heist episode. But but nothing is off 426 00:27:31,400 --> 00:27:36,320 Speaker 1: the table, absolutely not. Everybody's got to eat true yea. Also, 427 00:27:36,359 --> 00:27:40,480 Speaker 1: in Going Back to Natilla, almost seven thousand jars were 428 00:27:40,480 --> 00:27:44,639 Speaker 1: stolen in Germany from a parked trailer, all whopping thirteen thousand, 429 00:27:44,760 --> 00:27:48,920 Speaker 1: six hundred euros worth of Nattella. The jars were partially 430 00:27:48,920 --> 00:27:52,440 Speaker 1: recovered located in a stolen stash that also included five 431 00:27:52,520 --> 00:27:56,520 Speaker 1: tons of coffee and thirty four thousand cans of Red Bull. 432 00:27:56,960 --> 00:28:00,000 Speaker 1: Thirty four thousand cans of Red Bull can you imagine? 433 00:28:00,040 --> 00:28:03,600 Speaker 1: I cannot. I don't want to this person, Well, our people, 434 00:28:04,200 --> 00:28:08,680 Speaker 1: caffeine was there their area. And this isn't the only 435 00:28:08,760 --> 00:28:11,879 Speaker 1: case involving to tell As we said that episode, suspicions 436 00:28:11,920 --> 00:28:15,280 Speaker 1: abounded that same year that five thousand dollars a week 437 00:28:15,280 --> 00:28:18,920 Speaker 1: worth of ntella was going missing at Columbia Universal. Right. 438 00:28:19,520 --> 00:28:20,919 Speaker 1: I don't know if they ever got to the bottom 439 00:28:20,920 --> 00:28:24,160 Speaker 1: of that. I really think it was just people taking 440 00:28:24,359 --> 00:28:31,800 Speaker 1: students students. Yeah, I might have participated it. I'm not 441 00:28:31,840 --> 00:28:34,920 Speaker 1: saying I did, but I could see myself doing it. Yes, 442 00:28:35,000 --> 00:28:42,160 Speaker 1: had you been Yeah, sure, of course not, of course not. Indeed, 443 00:28:42,560 --> 00:28:46,040 Speaker 1: a man in Florida stole a truckload of Campbell's soup 444 00:28:46,720 --> 00:28:53,440 Speaker 1: worth seventy five thousand dollars. After a thirty minute highway chase, 445 00:28:53,800 --> 00:28:58,280 Speaker 1: the authorities traced the riggs GPS, the police caught the perpetrator. 446 00:28:58,560 --> 00:29:01,120 Speaker 1: The judge later said of the case, this is the 447 00:29:01,120 --> 00:29:03,920 Speaker 1: first time the court has ever seen seventy five thousand 448 00:29:04,000 --> 00:29:08,200 Speaker 1: dollars worth of soup stolen. That's probably good, Yeah, and 449 00:29:08,320 --> 00:29:11,040 Speaker 1: I don't want too many cases of that. Probably never never, 450 00:29:11,120 --> 00:29:14,360 Speaker 1: never since either yeah, one would, one would hope, and 451 00:29:14,400 --> 00:29:17,440 Speaker 1: then yeah, caviare and two thousand five criminals made off 452 00:29:17,480 --> 00:29:20,600 Speaker 1: with four hundred and seventy thousand dollars of red caviare 453 00:29:20,880 --> 00:29:23,560 Speaker 1: during the Russian New Year. Caviar is a popular New 454 00:29:23,640 --> 00:29:27,520 Speaker 1: Year food in Russia. Eight DT five cans or twenty 455 00:29:27,560 --> 00:29:34,160 Speaker 1: two tons gone, all from one truck of one Moscow businessman. 456 00:29:34,640 --> 00:29:41,720 Speaker 1: Who yeah, yeah, that's a lot. That is. Criminals made 457 00:29:41,720 --> 00:29:44,040 Speaker 1: off with two d and sixty tons of lint chocolate 458 00:29:44,240 --> 00:29:48,120 Speaker 1: from their warehouse in Milan. While the two behind it 459 00:29:48,160 --> 00:29:50,440 Speaker 1: were caught, only about fifty tons of the chocolate was 460 00:29:50,480 --> 00:29:54,400 Speaker 1: ever accounted. For the value of the stolen chocolate eight 461 00:29:54,440 --> 00:29:59,880 Speaker 1: million euros. Mm hmm no. And then I found this 462 00:30:00,040 --> 00:30:03,240 Speaker 1: one really interesting. I hadn't really thought about about going 463 00:30:03,280 --> 00:30:06,520 Speaker 1: about it this way. The owners and managers of ten 464 00:30:06,600 --> 00:30:09,880 Speaker 1: Kentucky based convenience stores were arrested in when it was 465 00:30:09,880 --> 00:30:14,920 Speaker 1: discovered they were providing thieves with shopping list for items 466 00:30:14,960 --> 00:30:18,520 Speaker 1: to steal from local stores and pharmacies. Oh wow, like, hey, 467 00:30:18,560 --> 00:30:25,920 Speaker 1: we're running low on band aids. Like yeah, I guess enterprising. 468 00:30:26,560 --> 00:30:30,280 Speaker 1: UM here's maybe my favorite one of the episode. And 469 00:30:30,280 --> 00:30:32,240 Speaker 1: why I was a few minutes late coming in because 470 00:30:32,240 --> 00:30:36,120 Speaker 1: I found it and I wasn't going to not include it. Um. So, 471 00:30:36,200 --> 00:30:39,680 Speaker 1: last year, a man in Texas pled guilty to one 472 00:30:39,720 --> 00:30:44,560 Speaker 1: point two million dollars worth of fajita theft, slash fraud 473 00:30:44,960 --> 00:30:47,640 Speaker 1: over the course of almost ten years. What was going 474 00:30:47,680 --> 00:30:50,040 Speaker 1: on was he was working for UM. He was working 475 00:30:50,200 --> 00:30:54,080 Speaker 1: as a public servant at a juvenile detention center, and 476 00:30:54,320 --> 00:30:58,480 Speaker 1: he placed orders for fajitas using county funds hypothetically to 477 00:30:58,560 --> 00:31:02,000 Speaker 1: be served to the inmates, um, but then he would 478 00:31:02,000 --> 00:31:05,440 Speaker 1: sell the fahitas for his own profit. One point two 479 00:31:05,480 --> 00:31:08,760 Speaker 1: million dollars of fahitas. Yeah, and this was discovered when 480 00:31:08,840 --> 00:31:11,560 Speaker 1: like someone in the kitchen was alerted like, oh, hey, 481 00:31:11,600 --> 00:31:15,040 Speaker 1: there's a Fahita truck here with your fahita load, and 482 00:31:15,240 --> 00:31:18,160 Speaker 1: the kitchen human was like, we don't serve fahita's here. 483 00:31:19,560 --> 00:31:25,880 Speaker 1: Yeah hoof Yeah, yeah, that's pretty substantial number. I'm glad 484 00:31:26,000 --> 00:31:28,880 Speaker 1: you were a little late to include it. And of 485 00:31:28,880 --> 00:31:31,360 Speaker 1: course we talked about the black market for spam in 486 00:31:31,480 --> 00:31:35,120 Speaker 1: Hawaii in our spam episode. Some shops put spam behind 487 00:31:35,160 --> 00:31:40,880 Speaker 1: security cases alongside things like cell phones. And then in Georgia, 488 00:31:40,960 --> 00:31:45,880 Speaker 1: in thieves absconded with almost one hundred thousand dollars worth 489 00:31:46,320 --> 00:31:53,440 Speaker 1: of instant ramen. This is maybe I there's it's that 490 00:31:53,760 --> 00:31:58,240 Speaker 1: I can't even process. It's too much to process. Yes. 491 00:31:58,800 --> 00:32:02,960 Speaker 1: The thieves targeted a fifty three ft trailer of the noodles, 492 00:32:03,000 --> 00:32:06,440 Speaker 1: somewhere between two hundred thousand to five thousand packets, depending 493 00:32:06,480 --> 00:32:11,080 Speaker 1: on the brand. Wow. Yeah, I didn't think that was 494 00:32:11,080 --> 00:32:14,720 Speaker 1: going to come up either. At least it's lighter and 495 00:32:14,800 --> 00:32:17,040 Speaker 1: like less awkward than some of the other products we've 496 00:32:17,080 --> 00:32:20,920 Speaker 1: been talking about. That's true if we're looking at it logistically. Yeah, 497 00:32:23,080 --> 00:32:26,440 Speaker 1: we're not thieves. We're not a promise don't don't steal stuff. 498 00:32:26,480 --> 00:32:31,120 Speaker 1: Stealing stuff is bad, yes, indeed, But I mean we 499 00:32:31,120 --> 00:32:33,760 Speaker 1: didn't even touch we were also discussing before we started this, 500 00:32:34,720 --> 00:32:37,600 Speaker 1: fraud is something I have, I have more familiarity with, 501 00:32:37,640 --> 00:32:42,280 Speaker 1: I guess, and in some cases they obviously play along 502 00:32:42,320 --> 00:32:44,120 Speaker 1: with each other, they're they're part of the same thing. 503 00:32:44,200 --> 00:32:46,920 Speaker 1: But absolutely, yeah, there's a lot of like seafood fraud 504 00:32:46,960 --> 00:32:49,120 Speaker 1: we talked about a little bit, but things like that 505 00:32:49,160 --> 00:32:51,800 Speaker 1: we didn't even really touch on. Yeah there is, Oh yeah, 506 00:32:51,920 --> 00:32:54,800 Speaker 1: there's all kinds of fraud, and that's I think most 507 00:32:54,960 --> 00:32:59,040 Speaker 1: of what gets investigated in agricultural investigations, Like I think 508 00:32:59,080 --> 00:33:02,560 Speaker 1: it's mostly fraud related of one kind or another, so 509 00:33:02,640 --> 00:33:06,920 Speaker 1: broad category obviously, um hoof Yeah. Yeah. There were a 510 00:33:06,920 --> 00:33:11,160 Speaker 1: lot of really fascinating and beautifully written articles about about 511 00:33:11,160 --> 00:33:12,560 Speaker 1: some of these things that I was like, oh, it's 512 00:33:12,560 --> 00:33:14,440 Speaker 1: not about are they going to get to stealing? Okay, 513 00:33:14,440 --> 00:33:20,440 Speaker 1: but another episode push it aside. Not enough time, not 514 00:33:20,640 --> 00:33:23,960 Speaker 1: enough time, and probably we could we'll come back and 515 00:33:24,000 --> 00:33:26,120 Speaker 1: revisit this. If we've had if we left any out 516 00:33:26,200 --> 00:33:28,040 Speaker 1: let us know. Yeah, if you have, if you have 517 00:33:28,120 --> 00:33:31,480 Speaker 1: a favorite one, let's right right in. For sure, you're 518 00:33:31,520 --> 00:33:37,080 Speaker 1: more of our gas at these ridiculously high numbers. Um. 519 00:33:37,120 --> 00:33:38,880 Speaker 1: But yeah, So that that's what we have to say 520 00:33:38,880 --> 00:33:41,960 Speaker 1: about food heists today. UM. And we do have some 521 00:33:42,040 --> 00:33:43,760 Speaker 1: listener mail for you, but first we've got one more 522 00:33:43,840 --> 00:33:55,160 Speaker 1: quick break for which from our sponsor. And we're back. 523 00:33:55,200 --> 00:34:00,040 Speaker 1: Thank you, sponsor, Yes, thank you, we're back with I 524 00:34:00,040 --> 00:34:01,440 Speaker 1: wanted to think about high I we think of like 525 00:34:01,520 --> 00:34:04,800 Speaker 1: high speed car chases, which is a category of film 526 00:34:04,960 --> 00:34:06,880 Speaker 1: I'm not very familiar with. But I have seen the 527 00:34:06,960 --> 00:34:10,560 Speaker 1: chase because it's on my my list of fifty good 528 00:34:10,560 --> 00:34:15,920 Speaker 1: bad movies to watch. Agreed, very fair assessment. Whoever put 529 00:34:16,000 --> 00:34:20,720 Speaker 1: it on that list. Anyway, Tom wrote, I've been listening 530 00:34:20,760 --> 00:34:22,960 Speaker 1: since the dawn of food stuff R I P. And 531 00:34:22,960 --> 00:34:24,640 Speaker 1: I've been mean to write in for some time, but 532 00:34:24,680 --> 00:34:28,120 Speaker 1: it's frowned upon to send emails while driving. I'm sorry 533 00:34:28,160 --> 00:34:30,120 Speaker 1: if this email gets a little long, but I couldn't 534 00:34:30,200 --> 00:34:33,680 Speaker 1: help but write after your latest episode. My maternal grandmother, 535 00:34:33,800 --> 00:34:38,640 Speaker 1: Maymare passed away in twelve but my grandfather, Jagu, continued 536 00:34:38,680 --> 00:34:41,960 Speaker 1: to live in their retro suburban early eighties condo up 537 00:34:42,040 --> 00:34:45,520 Speaker 1: until his passing in November. My family and I were 538 00:34:45,520 --> 00:34:48,200 Speaker 1: recently cleaning out the condo, and I, being a chef 539 00:34:48,239 --> 00:34:51,360 Speaker 1: by trade, decided to tackle the kitchen. After emptying the 540 00:34:51,400 --> 00:34:53,920 Speaker 1: fridge and clearing the counters, I began to sort through 541 00:34:53,960 --> 00:34:57,120 Speaker 1: the cabinets. Neither of my grandparents were cooks, both relying 542 00:34:57,160 --> 00:34:59,640 Speaker 1: heavily on the semi homemade food model that was so 543 00:35:00,000 --> 00:35:02,759 Speaker 1: popular with people their age, so the culinary supplies were 544 00:35:02,760 --> 00:35:06,600 Speaker 1: pretty basic in addition to being well aged. As I 545 00:35:06,640 --> 00:35:09,440 Speaker 1: emptied the spice shelf, I found a handful of bay 546 00:35:09,560 --> 00:35:13,879 Speaker 1: leaves scattered underneath the other spices. Odd but understandable. Had 547 00:35:13,920 --> 00:35:17,000 Speaker 1: a single nine year old man would missus Bill Jar 548 00:35:17,040 --> 00:35:19,960 Speaker 1: over the years. As I worked through all of the cabinets, 549 00:35:19,960 --> 00:35:24,239 Speaker 1: I continued to find Bai leaves scattered everywhere. Not a 550 00:35:24,280 --> 00:35:26,759 Speaker 1: single cabinet was free of them. I bought this to 551 00:35:26,800 --> 00:35:29,320 Speaker 1: my mom's attention, and she explained that the loose leaves 552 00:35:29,320 --> 00:35:32,560 Speaker 1: had been one of Maymyre's housekeeping tricks to keep sugar 553 00:35:32,600 --> 00:35:36,320 Speaker 1: ants at bay. Google has confirmed this as a home remedy, 554 00:35:36,560 --> 00:35:40,040 Speaker 1: but most sources suggest bundling the leaves together or throwing 555 00:35:40,080 --> 00:35:42,959 Speaker 1: them in a sashet. Finding the bay leaves brought both 556 00:35:43,000 --> 00:35:44,600 Speaker 1: my mom and I had to tears, happy to have 557 00:35:44,640 --> 00:35:47,680 Speaker 1: found a trace of maymare and an otherwise somber task. 558 00:35:47,840 --> 00:35:52,040 Speaker 1: Oh yeah, that's very sweet. It is it is. That 559 00:35:52,120 --> 00:35:56,360 Speaker 1: is something I had not heard. Yeah, me neither. A 560 00:35:56,400 --> 00:35:58,640 Speaker 1: lot of people wrote in about bay leaves. You'll be 561 00:35:58,680 --> 00:36:00,960 Speaker 1: hearing some more listener mail about failures. I love it. 562 00:36:00,960 --> 00:36:03,799 Speaker 1: I love that we have these personal stories. Yeah, thank 563 00:36:03,800 --> 00:36:07,200 Speaker 1: you so much for sharing. Um Kirk wrote, loved the 564 00:36:07,280 --> 00:36:09,680 Speaker 1: s cargo episode, but you missed a location where snails 565 00:36:09,680 --> 00:36:12,200 Speaker 1: are eaten. I grew up in Newfoundland and as a 566 00:36:12,280 --> 00:36:15,560 Speaker 1: child my family often ate sea snail. We called them whelks. 567 00:36:15,960 --> 00:36:17,719 Speaker 1: My cousin and I would be sent out at low 568 00:36:17,760 --> 00:36:20,400 Speaker 1: tide to collect sea snails and muscles. We'd boil them 569 00:36:20,400 --> 00:36:23,000 Speaker 1: in sea water with seaweed. Once cooked, they would be 570 00:36:23,040 --> 00:36:24,920 Speaker 1: drained and served in their shells, and we would sit 571 00:36:24,920 --> 00:36:26,600 Speaker 1: around the bowl of snails and fish them out of 572 00:36:26,640 --> 00:36:28,959 Speaker 1: their shells with a hatpin and dip them in drawn butter, 573 00:36:29,080 --> 00:36:31,960 Speaker 1: lemon juice, and wine vinegar. The best part was the 574 00:36:32,040 --> 00:36:34,480 Speaker 1: rhythm the kids would recite as we worked the snail 575 00:36:34,520 --> 00:36:37,360 Speaker 1: from the shell, the following snail, snail, come out of 576 00:36:37,400 --> 00:36:39,879 Speaker 1: your shell. Your mother and father are burning in hell, 577 00:36:44,280 --> 00:36:49,800 Speaker 1: we would laugh and scarve them down. I love that dark, 578 00:36:50,680 --> 00:36:57,360 Speaker 1: goth af and really charming. Love it burning in hell 579 00:36:58,880 --> 00:37:05,080 Speaker 1: well also sounds delicious. Yeah, you gotta have a fun 580 00:37:05,120 --> 00:37:09,839 Speaker 1: song saying while you're getting the snail you do clearly, clearly. 581 00:37:10,760 --> 00:37:13,320 Speaker 1: Thank you to both of them for writing. If you 582 00:37:13,360 --> 00:37:15,520 Speaker 1: would like to drive to us, you can. Our email 583 00:37:15,600 --> 00:37:18,120 Speaker 1: is hello at savor pod dot com. We're also in 584 00:37:18,160 --> 00:37:21,400 Speaker 1: social media. You can find us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, 585 00:37:21,600 --> 00:37:25,080 Speaker 1: where our handle is at savor pod. We do hope 586 00:37:25,120 --> 00:37:27,439 Speaker 1: to hear from you. Savor is production of I Heart 587 00:37:27,520 --> 00:37:30,239 Speaker 1: Radio and Stuff Media. For more podcasts from my Heart Radio, 588 00:37:30,280 --> 00:37:32,960 Speaker 1: you can visit the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, 589 00:37:33,040 --> 00:37:36,080 Speaker 1: or wherever you listen to your favorite shows. Thanks as 590 00:37:36,080 --> 00:37:38,600 Speaker 1: always to our super producers Dylan Vaked and Andrew Howard. 591 00:37:38,840 --> 00:37:40,440 Speaker 1: Thanks to you for listening, and we hope that lots 592 00:37:40,480 --> 00:37:41,759 Speaker 1: more good things are coming your way.