Article content

“Butter continues to be a popular commodity for thieves in the Guelph area,” according to local police. They report that the last two flights in the small town in southwestern Ontario, 70 km west of downtown Toronto, occurred in mid-October.

Police allege that on October 12, two men entered a business on Speedvale Avenue East separately before meeting inside. Then, they placed three cases of butter worth $936 in a cart and fled through the receiving door.

Four days later, a similar theft occurred. Two men separately entered a business on Eramosa Road before ending up inside, police said. They placed four cases of butter worth $958 in a cart and left through a fire exit.

Police say there have been “at least seven large-scale butter thefts” in Guelph in the past 10 months. reports Guelph today.

They can’t say if the incidents are related. And ask anyone with information about the thefts to contact Detective Constable Adam Roszell at 519-824-1212, ext. 20. 7117, or by email: [email protected].

In both cases, police described the suspected culprits as brown-skinned men, approximately 40 years old, 5’7″, and of medium build.

Article content

Police described one of the suspects in the first robbery as wearing a dark vest and a blue and white baseball cap, while the second was wearing a dark winter coat and a red baseball cap.

In the second incident, one of the men was wearing a beige jacket, black pants and a black winter hat. The other wore a black jacket, black pants and a black baseball cap.

Previous Butter Thefts

The spate of butter thefts dates back to August 2023, when thieves targeted two Guelph businesses.

Police allege a man left a store on Gordon Street and Clair Road in Guelph with two cases of butter worth approximately $500.

An hour later, a man walked out of a store at Kortright Road West and Edinburgh Road South with $300 worth of butter. He was last seen leaving in a white Toyota Corolla, police said. Police did not say whether it was the same man.

Beyond the Guelph area, Peel Region police say they arrested three Brampton men with more than $1,000 in stolen butter. reports CTV Kitchener.

Police say the men were seen putting a case of butter in a cart, exiting the store and leaving.

Article content

However, an hour later, police found the vehicle outside another grocery store. They arrested two men in the vehicle and a third man as he left the business. Police said the third man abandoned a cart just outside the store and found stolen butter inside.

In total, police say they recovered 144 sticks of butter and 17 containers of ghee (a type of clarified butter native to the Indian subcontinent) during this theft.

The police said Radio-Canada News that most butter ends up on the black market or is sold at reduced prices on resale sites.

Some Guelph residents have responded to the butter crime wave with humor.

“They must have a recipe,” one of them told CBC outside the grocery store where the latest theft took place.

Some turned to social media.

“What a bunch of slippery thieves,” Internet user LocalGuelphRealtor wrote on Reddit.

“Ugh, this story is turning my stomach,” one Reddit user wrote Secret-Coco-9728.

“Pssst… Need a pound?” “, user bigNfrosty61 posted on Reddit.

Our website is the place for breaking news, exclusive scoops, long reads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark nationalpost.com and sign up for our daily newsletter, Posted, here.

Article content