Over $250,000 worth of wine and cheese has been stolen in Italy this past week. As Global News reports, ten men, including two Serbian nationals, were arrested in Modena for taking part in the theft of a multitude of fine wine and cheese in Emilia-Romagna.
The thefts, dubbed “Operation Wine and Cheese,” began in 2015, accumulating an astonishing 16,000 bottles of wine and 168 wheels of cheese over the last two years.
But the region isn’t new to wine and cheese theft; over 20,000 wheels of cheese, worth an estimated 10 million euros, has been stolen from grocery shops and distributors in just the last three years alone, cites Drinks Business.
Surprisingly, the cheese’s value is much more substantial than that of the wine, with each wheel clocking it an estimated 500 euros. The cheese’s value, like many fine wines, increases over time and was actually used as collateral in the region’s past. While we certainly don’t condone robbery, this is one cheese tryst of which we definitely wouldn’t mind reaping the benefits.
