Gallery: Man Arrested For Stealing a G...

When many of us thirst for a chilled drink, we think back to our science lessons and recall that when water is placed in the freezer, it turns into ice. It seems a man in Chile forgot this and has been arrested for trying to steal five tons of ice from a glacier in order to sell “designer” ice cubes to local bars. Now, I’m no expert in fraud or theft, but it seems to me that it would be easier to make ice cubes the traditional way and then lie about their origin, rather than trekking up Patagonia’s Jorge Montt Glacier and hauling five tons of ice down to sell on the black market.

It is no surprise to learn that the man was arrested after police intercepted his refrigerated truck en route to the capital of Santiago. In the back was an estimated £3,900 worth of illicit ice that was reportedly bound for the city’s bars. The man is to be charged with theft (and if they can make it stick) violation of national monuments.

The Jorge Montt Glacier is part of the Bernardo O’Higgins National Park, and scientists have been alarmed that it is retreating by half a mile each year. It is one of the world’s fastest shrinking glaciers and has been cited as evidence that man-made climate change is warming the planet. It seems sceptics now have some evidence that global warming may not be responsible – it could simply be an underground movement of thieves looking for unique ways to chill their drinks.

+ Bernardo O’Higgins National Park

Via The Guardian

Lead photo © Vincent Huang