February 15th 2025.
It's quite a mystery as to why any recipe would require such a hefty amount of butter, cheese, and even laundry tablets. But according to two men who were recently arrested by German police, the perfect crime actually involves a staggering 200 bars of butter and 150 blocks of cheese. The alleged shoplifters were caught on Thursday while driving along Kölner Landstraße, a road that cuts through Düsseldorf's Wersten district.
Upon searching the suspects' vehicle, patrol officers were taken aback by the sight of 200 packs of butter, 146 pieces of Parmesan cheese, and even bags of Ariel washing liquid pods and salmon stacked high in the back seats. To make matters worse, the two 50-year-old men were also found to be carrying bolt cutters, a machete, and two knives. When questioned by the police, they were unable to provide any reasonable explanation for the unusual collection of items.
It's safe to say that neither of these men are lactose-intolerant, given the sheer amount of dairy products in their possession. The police had initially grown suspicious of the duo, who turned out to be a German and a Romanian national, when they discovered that their car was registered in Cologne. The officers decided to conduct a strategic search, which ultimately led to the temporary arrest of the suspected food thieves.
Upon further investigation, it was discovered that the stolen food items were taken from a local discount grocer, and were subsequently returned to the store by the police. Interestingly, this was not the first time that these two suspects had been caught for similar thefts. However, due to a lack of sufficient evidence, they were eventually released by the police.
One might wonder why these thieves would go to such lengths to steal dairy products instead of more valuable items like cash or expensive gadgets. But in Germany, where the average price of a stick of butter has risen by a staggering 66% in the last four years, it actually makes perfect sense. The prices of household groceries, including butter, have been steadily increasing, with a 40% rise in just a year between 2023 and 2024. And it's not just a local phenomenon - dairy manufacturers have attributed the price hikes to a global shortage of milk, caused in part by the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
In addition, there has been a decline in the demand for butter in Germany, resulting in fewer shoppers buying it. However, the demand for cheese remains high, according to dairy farmers. So while stealing butter may seem like an odd choice for a crime, it definitely has its own logic in this particular situation.
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