Is there a thriving black market for . . . CHEWING GUM?
An 18-year-old and a 20-year-old in the U.K. were arrested recently for an elaborate scheme to steal $36,000 worth of Wrigley’s chewing gum from a semi while the driver slept in the cab.
They somehow “cut open” the side of the truck . . . and removed seven of the 19 pallets of gum inside.
They were interrupted in the middle of the heist when another driver spotted them and called the police. The thieves took off, but were caught soon after.
They reportedly did it because they needed to pay off some “drug debts” . . . although it’s unclear how they planned to unload all that gum. The BBC does note that “in some countries chewing gum is used as currency.”
They were just sentenced, and both got off relatively easy with suspended sentences and community service since neither of them had a previous criminal record.