Butter continues to be a hot commodity in Guelph, Ont.
At least seven large-scale thefts have been reported over a 10-month period, including two hauls in just the last month.
On Oct. 12, at around 7:45 p.m., two men entered a store on Speedvale Avenue East.
“They placed a number of items in a cart – including three cases of butter with a value of $936 – and left out a receiving door,” the Guelph Police Service said in a news release.
Both men were described as brown-skinned, approximately 40 years of age and 5’7”, with medium builds. One was wearing a dark sleeveless vest and a blue and white baseball cap, while the other was wearing a dark winter coat and red baseball cap. They were last seen leaving in a white four-door sedan.
Four days later, police said two men entered a business on Eramosa Road, placed four cases of butter in a cart and left through an emergency exit.
The value of the butter was estimated at $958.
The men were described as having brown skin. One wore a tan jacket, black pants and a black winter hat. The other wore a black jacket, black pants and a black baseball cap.
Previous butter thefts
In August 2023, butter thieves targeted two Guelph businesses.
Police said a man walked out of a store at Gordon Street and Clair Road with two cases of the dairy product. The total cost was approximately $500.
An hour later, a man filled two bags with $300 worth of butter from a store at Kortright Road West and Edinburgh Road South. He was last seen leaving in a white Toyota Corolla.
Then, on Dec. 24, 2023, police caught three men from Brampton with more than $1,000 in stolen butter. They said the men were seen putting a case in their cart, walking out of the store and driving away with the goods.
An hour later, the vehicle was discovered outside another grocery store. Police arrested the two men in the vehicle and a third as he was leaving the business. A witness told officers the third man had abandoned a cart just outside the store and, when police checked it, they found stolen butter.
In all, they recovered 144 sticks of butter and 17 containers of ghee.