A French couple faces up to six years in jail for taking around 40 kg (88.1lbs) of white sand from a beach on the Italian island of Sardinia.
Italian finance police said Tuesday they discovered the sand from a Chia beach stashed in 14 plastic bottles in the couple's SUV during a check as it boarded a ferry Aug. 15 from Sardinia to France.
The couple told police they didn't know it was against the law to take the island's famed sand, which is protected as a public good. If found guilty, they face one to six years in jail for aggravated theft.
This picture taken on Aug. 16, 2019 by the Finance Police of the Sardinian port of Porto Torres, Italy, shows 14 plastic bottles of sand seized from a French couple in the trunk of the couple’s car. The French couple could face up to six years in jail for taking around 40 kg (88.1lbs) of the island's famed white sand from Chia beach, which is protected as a public good. (Italian Finance Police via AP)
It's not clear when a trial may be held.
Italian finance police say the sand theft was one of the bigger revealed during a recent crackdown.