Kiwi Guacamole: A Recipe for the Great Avocado Theft in New Zealand

New Zealand brings another unique piece of news to the world table with the dastardly thefts of avocados.

Using rakes and the cover of nightfall, thieves have been stealing the fruits direct from the avocado trees in unguarded orchards.

Given the time of year, the stolen avocados typically aren’t ripe, and probably aren’t that good to eat either.

However, the opportunity is there for criminals to on-sell the stolen avocados amidst increasing prices and limited supply. Because New Zealand does not import any avocados, but consumer demand for them has increased significantly.

In New Zealand, a single avocado sells for around NZ$4-6.

With prices that high, avocados may be likely to remain easy pickings for opportunistic thieves.