Stolen chocolate mountain found near Vesuvius

In total, 260 tons of chocolates were stolen earlier this year Keystone

A huge hoard of pilfered chocolate, weighing 50 tons, has been uncovered at a warehouse in Nola, Italy. The haul represents just one quarter of a batch stolen from Swiss luxury chocolate maker Lindt & Sprüngli.

Police tracked down the batch of Lindor chocolate balls, wrapped in a distinctive red foil, to the touristic spa town in the shadow of Mount Vesuvius. The 5,000 boxes have been valued at €1.5 million (CHF1.8 million, $1.85 million).

Lindt confirmed that 260 tons of chocolates were stolen from another warehouse near to Milan in August.

Earlier this month Italian police found around 20 tons of Lindt chocolates in Sezze, between Rome and Naples. But the remainder of the stolen chocolates have yet to be recovered.

The Italian news agency Ansa reported that two men who worked at a haulage firm had been arrested in connection with the offence in October.

Lindt & Sprüngli has become one of Switzerland’s most famous names in the world of chocolate since it was founded in 1845. The group achieved sales in CHF2.88 billion last year with a net profit of CHF303 million.