- 4.4tonnes of oranges were stolen and packed into three vehicles in Seville
- Five people were arrested after the fruit was stolen from a ship in a nearby town
- Suspects claimed they picked the fruit off the ground for their own consumption
Five people have been arrested for stealing 4.4tonnes of oranges, which they squeezed into two cars.
The fruit robbery ignited a police car chase when local Seville police became suspicious of the three vehicles travelling together in a close line.
When the vehicles spotted the police they made a ‘sharp’ turn, causing police to pursue the cars on a dirt road to track down the group.
Fallen fruit: Police arrested five people for stealing 4.4tonnes of oranges from a nearby town
Two cars were filled to the brim with the oranges, with the suspects failing to explain its source
In one van a couple traveled with their adult son. In the second, two brothers traveled together. Both were packed with with massive amounts of oranges in sacks.
The stolen goods lacked an invoice and labels.
The group also lacked the legal paperwork needed to transport such a massive quantity of fruit.
When police asked the origin of the stolen fruit, the suspects couldn’t provide a strong answer.
Car chase: Police chased the vehicles that gave a sudden and suspicious ‘sharp’ turn
Discovered: A third van was also found filled with sacks of oranges, but without the owners
One said that they have picked it up on the ground along the way of their long journey, for their own consumption.
Police later conducted another search in the area of the arrest and found the third vehicle, without its occupants, loaded with oranges.
Later it was revealed that a ship in the nearby town of Carmona reported a theft just hours before of a large number of oranges.