Murcia melon mayhem as police chase thieves through the melon fields.

Thieves from Alicante were caught red handed by the grower.

We have all been driving down the road and seen the fields being gleaned by ordinary people – taking advantage of the end of a harvest, helping themselves to left over crops.  But as the economic situation bites a little bit harder, this gleaning has become more organised, with not just one or two items being taken for personal consumption, but large scale agricultural theft a regular occurrence.  Most of the time, the thieves strike at night, the full moon a time of intense activity in the fields of the region, and although increasing numbers of agriculturalists are mounting their own patrols, few are lucky enough to catch a glimpse of the culprits.

However, last Thursday a Roldán grower alerted the Policia Local who were out on patrol after witnessing the occupants of a van helping themselves to a couple of his melons:  1.220kgs to be exact!  With blues and twos engaged, they “followed that car” – with the grower in hot pursuit.  But it transpired that there wasn’t just the van, there was also another car involved, and after a hot pursuit, both were stopped between Roldán and Los Martínez del Puerto. 

Inside the vehicles, police discovered 4 people from the Alicante area aged between 45 and 56 years old – and the melons.  The estimated cost of the theft was in excess of 600€, and so constituted a criminal offense.  Growers have always had a lot to put up with – combating the climate and now the economic down turn.  At least this time a grower’s efforts to protect his crop have been rewarded and he has had his melons returned. The moral of this tale: Hands off my melons!