Sweet potato thieves apprehended in Alicante

Two men and two women, aged between 51 and 64, have been apprehended for their involvement in a gang specializing in stealing sweet potatoes from farms in the southern province of Alicante, Spain. The Civil Guard reported that the group was caught red-handed while harvesting around 150 kilograms of sweet potatoes from two farms in San Fulgencio, without the necessary permission.

The stolen tubers were returned to the rightful owners as a result of an investigation carried out by the Rural Teams (Equipos Roca) of the Civil Guard. The case has been forwarded to the courts in Orihuela.

This incident underscores the ongoing plea from farmers for increased security in their fields. Towards the end of last year, the Valencian Farmers Association (AVA-Asaja) and the Avocado Producers Association (Asoproa) raised concerns about frequent harvest thefts, even though the predominant avocado variety in Valencian lands, Lamb Hass, still needed five months to reach optimal ripeness.

In response to these challenges, some farmers are installing cameras on their farms to deter these criminal acts.