16 Notable Food Capers

In 2013, a woman from Cape Coral was arrested for allegedly taking cans of baby food from a Wal-Mart in Port Charlotte on three separate dates. Surveilance videos led authorities to the suspect, who supposedly stole $1,400 worth of baby food.

Campbell's Soup is mm-mm good! Too good, perhaps. Earlier this year, a Florida man was accused of stealing a tractor trailer carrying $75,000 worth of Campbell's Soup. With the tractor, the theft totaled $350,000, police reports said. The Florida man faces charges of grand theft of cargo and grand theft auto. We wonder if he even had a moment to sit down and enjoy a bowl.

Could the wily gang of Arrested Development be to blame for this massive banana theft in 2010? Perhaps they were simply seeking more bananas for the banana stand. In July 2010, a refrigerated trailer holding 980 boxes of bananas was stolen from Vineland Produce Auction. Quick, what's the price of 980 boxes of bananas? $15,000. That's a lot of banana splits!

This operation gave new meaning to the word "bud." That's the term one security guard at a Budweiser warehouse may have received from his friends when he helped them cart off more than $100,000 in cases of beer over several months. The guard would turn cameras away from the thieves while they ransacked the warehouse. On six different nights from November 2012 through February 2013, the accused allegedly covered for the crew as they hauled off thousands of dollars worth of beer and non-alcoholic drinks, according to court documents.

There's a Hamburglar on the loose! Or there was, earlier this year. Apparently he made off with $100,000 worth of burger patties in the Garden State that were being stored in a shipping yard.

Can you blame any cheese lover for wanting more cheese than the average human? Unfortunately desire led to theft in late March 2013, when a 34-year-old man was found with roughly $200,000 worth of stolen Muenster cheese in his truck in New Jersey. The food was supposed to go to Texas, but the New Jersey State Police Cargo Theft unit intercepted it thousands of miles away. Cheese is a precious commodity — one does not just simply forget about a truck full of cheese! Once inspected for safety, the cheese was donated to charity.

In November 2012, Austrian police were searching for a thief who stole 18 tons of chocolate bars before disappearing. A driver loaded 33 pallets of milk chocolate from a factory in Bludenz that was supposed to go to the Czech Republic in his truck, according to the Associated Press. But the license plates and paperwork for the truck and driver were forged, which was only discovered when the real delivery truck showed up later, the Austrian Independent says. Hopefully the thief spread some chocolate cheer around to boys and girls who were hoping for some in their Christmas stockings. Wishful thinking? Probably.

German police reported in April 2013 that 10 pallettes of Eduscho brand German coffee had been stolen from a truck trailer. The goods were valued at about $39,000. We assume that heist was made possible by first having a strong cup o' joe.

Who doesn't like Girl Scout Cookies? To steal from a group of little ones, though, is just beyond comprehension! In February 2013 Carey Moving & Storage in South Carolina was targeted in a series of Girl Scout thefts. Over a period of two weeks, 450 cases of cookies worth $18,900 were taken, including Thin Mints and Shortbreads.

Who knew syrup was such a hot commodity? In December 2012, three people were arrested in connection with an $18 million maple syrup heist that took place in Quebec over the summer. Between August 2011 and July 2012, thieves made off with 9,600 barrels of maple syrup from a warehouse close to Quebec City. Police believe the barrels were siphoned off over the course of a year, and some were even believed to have been sold state side.

We know Nutella is good. But how good, is the question. A thief in Germany reportedly took off with 5,000 jars of the gooey spread, valued at approximately $21,000, in March 2013.

Australia seems to be at the center of a lot of food thefts. In the summer of 2012, whole pig carcasses, as well as shoulders, legs, boxes of assorted pork, and even a suckling pig were stolen from Victoria's largest pork wholesaler. The refrigerated haul turned out to be worth more than $25,000. Maybe the thieves just wanted to make BLTs for all of Australia.

Food thefts aren't limited to human food — even pets aren't safe from thievery. In November 2013, Atlanta police were on the hunt for thieves who stole thousands of dollars worth of dog food from a mom-and-pop shop. The thieves made off with $30,000 worth of food from the independent retailers, James Galloway and his wife, who are the only people in Georgia who distribute a brand of specialty dog food called Pet Chef Express. They, of course, felt the loss much more than a larger-scale retailer or distributer would have. Make no bones about it, this was a lowly heist.

Summer can get hot. Cooling off with a couple of energy drinks might breathe some life back into the listless month of August, right? And by a couple we mean 34,000, as in the case of last August's heist, when 20 palettes with more than 34,000 cans of Red Bull destined for the United States were stolen in Germany. How much was that haul worth? A cool $47,000. No reports of missing vodka followed this theft.

We suppose a glass of wine is one way to warm up during the dead of winter. But what to do with 60,000 bottles? That question is up to the thieves who stole this massive delivery from a depot close to Sydney, Australia. The estimated value of the haul was $500,000. South Australian wineries affected by the theft include Gemtree Vineyards, Chapel Hill Wines, Lakebreeze Wines, Tapestry Wines, Setanta Wines, Zontes Footsteps, Paxton Wines, Geoff Hardy/Pertaring Wines, and Dandelion Vineyards.

Sure, Monday nights would be a little worse without wings, but is it worth stealing them? Someone thinks so. In February 2012, an employee of a meat and poultry company was accused of and arrested for stealing $10,000 worth of chicken wings and other meat from the company through several heists. Better put a lock on that BBQ sauce warehouse!