The Gum Is Afoot
Fairfield County, Connecticut, has been experiencing a rash of gum thefts:
A sticky-fingered Stratford man has been charged with stealing hundreds of packs of a particular chewing gum from area stores.
…
McManus appears to have a craving for Orbit gum, which he has allegedly stolen in each instance, police said.
In a Jan. 22 incident, McManus is accused of stealing 175 packs of gum valued at more than $500 from the Shaw’s supermarket on Black Rock Turnpike here.
…
Three days earlier, he was charged with stealing $200 worth of gum from the Shaw’s in Stratford.
That was 12 days after he was arrested for stealing $75 worth of gum from the CVS store on Boston Avenue in Bridgeport.
This incident was followed days later by the separate arrest of another man for stealing Orbit. Police are reportedly mystified, knowing of no connection between the gum and drug processing.
I too was perplexed — until I read a crucial clue in Katherine’s post below that could blow this case wide open like the legs of the Barnstable Twins after so much peppermint schnapps:
The Bush administration changed the list of products facing duties just before leaving office in January, adding meat, chewing gum, chocolate, certain jams, and some fruit.
According to Wikipedia, Orbit is a European brand of American-based Wrigley that was introduced (actually, reintroduced) in the States in 2001. So riddle me this, Watson: Is Orbit made in the U.S. or is it imported? And if it’s imported, were these felonious futures traders hoarding Orbit in anticipation of a price jump after March 23?
Remember: Whatever is not impossible, no matter how improbable, must be the truth!
