Thief steals ice from glacier for 'designer ice cube' cocktails
Forget global warming, glaciers are vanishing due to the latest fashion of glacier ice-cubes in your Saturday night cocktail.
After discovering 5,200 kg of ice in a refrigerated truck, police in Chile arrested a man on suspicion of hacking away at a glacier in Patagonia, territory shared by both Argentina and Chile. It is reported that the man stole five tonnes of ice from the Jorge Montt glacier, in order to sell it as 'designer' ice cubes in bars and restaurants.
Media located in South America reported that when police intercepted the truck, it contained an estimated $6,200 dollars' worth of thieved ice. Potentially, its fate was to end up in the high-end bars dotted across the capital Santiago.
Not only is the driver being accused of theft, but local authorities are considering adding the charge of violation of a national monument. Considering that the glacier is retreating half a mile per year, if this man is charged with these violations, it may be a deterrent to prevent others from working on the same idea and contributing further to the shrinking ice.
(via The Guardian)
Image credit: Luis Alejandro Bernal Romero
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This post was originally published on Smartplanet.com