Copper is known to be highly valued in the non-ferrous metals market. So it comes as no surprise that telephone cables made of copper are becoming a welcome prey for thieves. In Hampstead, Florida, criminals put on a show to seize the cables of the local AT&T telephone company.
Disguised as repair workers, allegedly busy fixing cables, five abductors in full uniform – with protective helmets and glowing vests – on Sunday night opened the hatch leading to the cables laid underground and started “work”. According to the police department, the theft was carried out in two stages. First, the thieves cut off the cables and covered the cuts with caps so that they would not be noticed. A few days later, deciding that there was no danger, they returned and pulled out the cables. After loading the loot on a trailer, the thieves went home, but were soon arrested by the police who were already waiting for them.
The fact is that the city’s police were on the alert, as cable thefts had already taken place. And one of the police patrolling the area, suspecting something was wrong, called the dispatcher on duty of the telephone company. It turned out that no repairs were planned in the area. All five were charged with large-scale embezzlement and a criminal offense. On the black market, the copper contained in the cables would be worth about $ 30,000. And AT&T said the damage to its cable business was in excess of $ 50,000.
Newspaper headline:
The trick failed