France is receiving worldwide attention for unusual robberies. This time, it's about 450kg of snails, worth around $100,000, that were stolen from a farm in the Champagne region of France.
According to local media, the thieves forced their way in, going straight to the storage areas and almost completely emptying the refrigerated rooms.
Producer Jean-Mathieu Dauvergne said the snails that were sourced from L'Escargot Des Grands Crus were both fresh and frozen.
A farm post reads:
"This wasn't the kind of post we thought we'd be writing as the holidays approach. The next few weeks are important for us, so yes, this is a shock, a real blow to everyone."
Most of the snails were destined for Christmas deliveries to Michelin-starred restaurants.
"They went inside and found themselves in front of shelves full of snails: in jars, fresh, frozen," said owner Jean-Mathieu Dauvergne.
Some of the stolen stock had not yet been processed, as the shells had not been cleaned.
The damage is great.