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The Willy Wonka of thieves apparently lives in Southern California. San Bernadino County sheriff's arrested a man on Thursday afternoon for allegedly stealing and attempting to sell 7,500 pounds of defective Mars candy, according to the Associated Press.
The sugarcoated caper began when the West Coast distributor for Mars Candy Company hired a truck to haul candy that failed to pass inspections to another location for destruction, reports The Press-Enterprise. However, officials say that when the truck arrived the trailer was empty.
Investigators eventually caught a lead when several ads for candy turned up on Facebook and Craigslist. The search lead detectives to the home of Jesus N. Ibarra. According to a statement by the sheriff's department, in Ibarra's garage "investigators discovered the entire garage had been converted into a candy store with approximately 30 racks of candy . . . . all of which [were] labeled with prices."
This isn't the first time bandits have stolen food for resale. Last November, French thieves with a major fromage craving made off with four tons of Comté cheese. Then, in December, a father-son duo was arrested in Syracuse, New York for allegedly orchestrating a chicken wing heist valued at $41,000. Crime doesn't pay folks.
