Police officers discovered more than £5,000 worth of suspected stolen food, including olive oil, chocolate, cheese and chorizo, after pulling over a car that appeared unusually low to the ground.
Officers stopped the vehicle on Friday as it travelled along the A16, between Peterborough, Crowland, and Spalding. A search of the car revealed 58 bottles of olive oil, 14 tins of tuna, 399 packs of chocolates, cleaning products, and large quantities of coffee, cheese, and chorizo.
Images released by Cambridgeshire Police showed piles of packaged chorizo, parmesan, Lurpak butter, Babybel nets, and cheddar stacked four-deep on the floor.
"We know people like to start stocking up for Christmas, but this is a tad extreme," said a police spokesperson.
The stop was executed by the county's Rural Crime Action Team while carrying out an operation on the stretch of road.
A post on social media by Policing Peterborough read: “We know people like to start stocking up for Christmas, but this is a tad extreme.
“Our Rural Crime Action Team were carrying out an operation along the A16 between Peterborough, Crowland, and Spalding, on Friday when this vehicle caught their eye as it was looking a little low. When they opened it up, they found more than £5,000 worth of suspected stolen goods, including:5 8 bottles of olive oil, 14 tins of tuna, 399 packs of chocolates, a large amount of coffee, lots of cheese and chorizo, cleaning products.”
Adding: “This is just one example of work carried out by the team as they were joined by Lincolnshire Police Rural Crime Action Team, Driver & Vehicle Standards Agency, HMRC, Immigration, and Datatag ID Limited on an ‘Operation Chambers’.”
A 39-year-old man and a 35-year-old woman have been arrested on suspicion of theft and handling stolen goods.
