Caught in the act: Two people were arrested near Madrid for stealing more than 700 pieces of high-quality Iberian sausages, a flagship product in Spain, the Guardia Civil said on Monday.
The total value of the loot was estimated at nearly 200,000 euros (more than $298,000) for Los Pedroches Controlled Origin pieces, Spanish law enforcement authorities said in a statement.
Images from the Guardia Civil show whole pieces of Iberian ham stacked in a van.
The cold cuts were stolen on Wednesday morning in Villanueva de Córdoba, in the south of the country.
Some of the goods were found in two vans in Getafe, a southern suburb of Madrid, and another part in a ham drying room in Villanueva de Córdoba.
AFP
In total, authorities confiscated 296 pieces of Iberian ham, popular in Spain during year-end celebrations, and 448 pieces of Iberian lomo.
The two detainees were placed under judicial supervision.