NewsIn Greece, they don't steal jewelry. The loot becomes "liquid gold"

In Greece, they don't steal jewelry. The loot becomes "liquid gold"

In Greece, olive oil is increasingly becoming the target of thieves.
In Greece, olive oil is increasingly becoming the target of thieves.
Images source: © Bloomberg, Getty Images | Konstantinos Tsakalidis

3:51 AM EDT, October 16, 2023

There's an increasing number of olive oil thefts being reported in Greece. Poor harvests have caused a sharp rise in the price of this commodity on the market. The latest theft at a Greek cooperative resulted in losses valued at over $388,000.

As reported by "The Guardian", last week 37 metric tons of olive oil were stolen from the Polygyros cooperative, which comprises 200 local producers. Thieves also attacked an oil mill in Masenii, where they stole 220 pounds of the product.

Thefts have become more prevalent following unsatisfactory harvests, which led to a sharp increase in the price of olive oil.

Manolis Yiannoulis, head of the Greek Olive Oil Association EDOE, reported that the prices of this product have increased by 200 percent due to low yields. "There is, therefore, a lot of money to be made," he stated.

"They're not looking for jewelry anymore, but olive oil", said local reporter Themis Kanellopoulos as quoted by "The Guardian".

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