Unravelling the oddest stolen items of last year
Thieves of the world have been busy last year stealing stuff that range from swiping 17.5 tons of olives to 60 containers of bull sperm, an odd trend in the high-risk 'venture'.
"Why jack a boring old bank when you could be the Pirate Kings of Dimes? Why be another Fabergé egg-robbing hack when you could be the world's top Creme Egg bandit?" reads a Bloomberg Businessweek article.
The article lists some of the weirdest items that have been stolen last year:
Truckful of cooking oil: Allegedly taken by a construction worker and a policeman in Kingston, Jamaica
$50,000+ in Botox and other cosmetic drugs: This occurred in Busselton, Australia. The thief was captured on CCTV footage; she later pleaded guilty.
Santa Claus statue: Taken from a restaurant display in Greenville, South Carolina that showed Santa cooking the Grinch; the thief returned the statue, along with roses and an apology.
11,000+ cases of chicken wings worth $1.5 million: This was done by an administrator in Harvey school district, Illinois during the pandemic using district money, then resold; the schools don't actually serve wings.
4-metre-long sperm whale skull: This was taken from the Eden Killer Whale Museum in Eden, Australia.
60 containers of bull sperm: The German perps are missing, presumed scientifically literate; police noted that bull sperm must be preserved using liquid nitrogen at -196C (-321F).
Funeral home van, corpse included: A Chicago man was arrested for allegedly taking the van with the body of a 47-year-old father of 12 inside.
$42,500 in calculators: This feat was done by a teen crew who allegedly conducted at least nine break-ins at six schools; one 18-year-old has been arrested.
Truckful of Simba potato chips worth 1.2 million rand: One man was caught in the act in Ekurhuleni, South Africa; he described two accomplices who are missing and presumed salty.
R2-D2 statue worth up to $10,000: The man caught removing the droid claimed to be a security-guard job applicant at the Walt Disney World, Orlando.
1,240 cases of crab worth $732,000: This Washington thief, who pleaded not guilty, previously went to prison for impersonating a cruise-line buyer to steal shrimp.
$1 million in signed kobe bryant shoes, pokémon cards, other memorabilia: Three men in white hoodies crashed a truck into a store in Los Angeles and got away in less than seven minutes.
$37,355+ in cadaver parts given to Harvard medical school: Seven people were charged in association with alleged thefts from 2018 to 2022; five, including a morgue manager and the Salem-based owner of Kat's Creepy Creations, have pleaded not guilty.
Trucksful of frozen beef and pork worth $9 million: Three men pleaded guilty to operating a meat-theft ring encompassing at least 45 robberies encompassing 6 Midwestern US states.
CAD250,000 in toothpaste: Ontario perps at large, presumed smiling.
17.5 tons of olives: 16 arrested for thefts from six farms in Spain.