Why did thieves steal 12 tons of KitKat? Everything to know about Nestle heist

Swiss food giant Nestle reported that thieves stole a truck carrying around 12 tons of KitKat chocolate bars last week.

The company described it as an escalating cargo theft across Europe.

It is reported that the truck was loaded with almost 413,793 bars of KitKat’s new chocolate range.

It departed from the production facility in central Italy and was destined for Poland. However, it could never reach there.

Nestle further stated that the investigations are still ongoing in collaboration with local authorities, as the vehicle and its contents remain unaccounted for as of now.

According to the company’s spokesperson, “We’ve always encouraged people to have a break with KitKat. But it seems thieves have taken the message too literally and made a break with more than 12 tons of our chocolate.”

Nestle has not confirmed a motive yet, as thieves have not been caught.

But the most likely reason can be the resale value. The estimated street value of stolen chocolate is around $100,000 or even more.

This is a lucrative target for organised cargo theft rings. Another prominent reason can be the increase in demand across Europe as Easter is approaching.

The company has also warned that the missing bars can “enter unofficial sales channels.”

But officials confirm that the stolen chocolate is easily traceable due to their unique batch codes printed on each bar.

Nestle has decided not to disclose the exact location from where the truck went missing.