In a surprising incident, a French tourist was fined for stealing sand from the picturesque beaches of Sardinia, a gorgeous island in Italy. The man was caught stealing not just a pinch but a bag full of two kg of sand in his luggage! As per the media reports, the French man was fined £890 (INR 86633) by the local coastal protection authorities in the area.
Those who don’t know, the sand from Sardinia’s beaches is considered extremely coveted. More than tons of sand goes missing from here every year. Because of sand smuggling, the beaches here are facing the threat of erosion.
So, the government introduced a law in 2017 which states that stealing sand from beaches will be considered a crime. The law also states that in addition to sand, carrying pebbles or seashells from the beaches will be considered illegal.
Italian island’s sand beaches are highly protected, some are known for their pure white sands and some are famous for their pink hues. And if anyone is found guilty, they can face heavy penalties. The penalty can also be as severe as one to six years in jail .
In a press release, the local authorities said that such behaviours are harmful to the environment and also compromise the maintenance of the coastline for the sustainable development of tourism in Sardinia.
Sardinia’s idyllic beaches attract tourists from across the globe. Tourists, manually removing the sand, pose a great threat to these gorgeous beaches and nature in general.
As per the reports, the French tourist, whose identity is not yet revealed, was caught at Cagliari Elmas Airport on September 1 with a bottle containing nearly 2 kg sand. The bottle was confiscated by the authorities and kept in a room where all the confiscated items are kept.
A spokesman for the island’s Forest Rangers said that by the end of the year, they confiscate several such bottles of accumulated sand.
This is not the first time such an incident has happened in Sardinia. Last year, again a French couple was trying to smuggle 14 bottles (nearly 40 kg) of Sardinian sand.The couple, both in their 40s, said that they were not aware of the law and did not know carrying sand is illegal.