Snail heist leaves French farm shell shocked at disappearance of €90,000 stock
L'Escargot Des Grands Crus farm was robbed of €90,000 worth of snails being farmed in northern France last Monday.The thieves broke into the farm after cutting a fence and entering the building, according to French media. The thieves then made off with the entire stock of both the fresh and frozen snails.
L'Escargot Des Grands Crus, located near Reims, said the theft was a "real blow" ahead of the Christmas season, when snail is often consumed as a luxury treat.
While the theft is understood to have occurred last Monday, a complaint was filed with police only later in the week, Franceinfo reported.
"This is definitely not the kind of post we thought we'd write as the holidays approach," L'Escargot Des Grands Crus wrote in a statement announcing the theft on Thursday. "We are trying our best to replenish our stocks to satisfy you for the holidays."
L'Escargot Des Grands Crus
"A whole section of finished products was stolen from the store, and raw material stock from my laboratory," Jean-Mathieu Dauvergne, the farm's manager, told Franceinfo. “It was my end-of-year stock... We had just the right amount to get through the holidays without any worries."
