Watch CBS News

Greece nabs potato thieves from Bulgaria

Greece potato thieves nabbed in Bulgaria
AP Photo, file

(CBS/AP) THESSALONIKI, Greece - The farmer had to stay up at night to guard his field, and get help from police, but he's finally stopped the foreign marauders who were stealing his potatoes.

PICTURES: Most Outrageous Mug Shots

Five men and four women from neighboring Bulgaria were arrested early Sunday while digging up and loading 1,760 pounds of stolen potatoes into a van in Ochyro, a village in northern Greece near the Bulgarian border, police say.

The farmer, who was keeping an overnight watch for the thieves, got help from police and border guards after he lost 14 metric tons (15.3 tons) of potatoes the previous week.

More than 200 empty potato sacks and digging forks were found in the van and confiscated.

Police are now looking for other thieves in the region - these ones targeting olive groves.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.