"Not This Orchard"... 3 Tons of Tangerines Disappear Overnight, Here's What Happened

Jeju Reports 118 Cases of Agricultural Theft Over Four Years
Citrus Fruits Account for 49 Incidents, the Highest Among Stolen Produce
Theft Cases Primarily Concentrated During Winter Months

As the tangerine harvest season arrives in Jeju, there has been a concentration of agricultural product thefts in the region, prompting calls for increased vigilance.

According to the Jeju Eastern Police Station on December 2, a farm owner in Bonggae-dong, Jeju City, reported on November 24 that tangerines, which were about to be harvested, had suddenly disappeared overnight from their orchard.

Jeju tangerines. Photo for article understanding purposes only, unrelated to content. Yonhap News Agency.

Based on trash left at the scene, police identified a suspect in his 50s, referred to as Mr. A. Mr. A told police, "I thought it was a field I had purchased through a spot sale (locally known as 'battaegi'), so I mobilized nine workers and picked tangerines there for a day."

In reality, Mr. A had purchased a different field adjacent to the damaged orchard through a spot sale. However, the field Mr. A had acquired was about 1,000 square meters, while the affected orchard was found to be more than five times larger. The estimated harvest from the damaged orchard is around 3 tons. Police are currently investigating whether to charge Mr. A with theft.

According to the Jeju Police Agency, there have been a total of 118 agricultural product theft cases in Jeju over the past four years: 36 cases in 2021, 23 in 2022, 19 in 2023, and 29 in 2024. By product, tangerines and other citrus fruits accounted for 49 cases (41.5%), the highest proportion. This was followed by broccoli with 9 cases, and garlic and onions with 7 cases each.

By month, there were 19 cases in March, 14 each in February and November, 13 in January, and 12 in December, indicating a concentration during the winter months.

The crimes mainly involve two methods: 'field theft,' where crops are stolen directly from fields or orchards, and 'storage theft,' where products are stolen from storage facilities.

Despite recurring cases of agricultural product theft every year, the apprehension rate remains low. Over the past three years, the apprehension rates for such crimes were 60.9% in 2022, 42.1% in 2023, and 34.5% in 2024. Police explained, "Most agricultural areas have little foot traffic, and many storage facilities lack CCTV, making it difficult to catch perpetrators."

In response, police announced that they have established preventive measures against agricultural product theft, which will be implemented until March 31. They plan to work with related agencies to inspect CCTV installations around major farmland and strengthen patrols. In addition, they will conduct public awareness campaigns through public service announcements and banners. Police emphasized, "Do not leave harvested crops unattended on roadsides or in fields. Store them, if possible, in warehouses equipped with locks and CCTV. Also, if you spot suspicious people or vehicles, make a note of the vehicle type or license plate number just in case."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.