THE THEFT OF THE UNPICKED GRAPES. I continue to be fascinated by unusual thefts. For example, I have posted here about thefts of a cast iron building, of a ferris wheel, of a gold bathtub, and of large quantities of maple syrup and walnuts.
Rene Chun has an article in the Atlantic (December 2018) about a recent theft of grapes, some two and a half tons, over night, the night before they were ripe for picking. There were three acres of grapes and they were worth about $50,000. The theft would have required a crew of seven pickers and two pickup trucks.
Chun also takes notice of a theft of about 1.8 tons of grapes in Germany and a theft of about 7.5 tons of grapes in Bordeaux.
I would have thought that crops, especially crops like grapes, would be unlikely targets for theft, because they are of relatively low value for their volume, but Chun points out that grapes and other produce, once stolen, have the advantage that they are untraceable.