Last Tuesday, Saxony police said an investigation was being carried out against six suspects of illegal wild garlic harvesting. Under the legislation, the collection of wild garlic for personal use is permitted only in limited quantity.

What do we know about the case?

Police realized the illegal operation on Tuesday morning when they passed by a car traveling with the headlights on the high staircase. When they stopped the car for control, they found that there was a strong smell coming out of the trunk-and then asked the three passengers of Russian descent and 27, 29 and 39 years old.

“There they found several bags full of wild garlic bulbs and tools. In the development of investigations, police found that the three men had taken the wild garlic in the Barren area of ​​Leipzig, “Leipziger Zeitung wrote, referring to police spokesman.

Officers alerted their colleagues to Leipzig, who rushed to check the area, where wild garlic steals are often recorded. Indeed, around 02:00 they found a BMW there and three more men around 30, who had also collected three bags of wild garlic bulbs. The suspects include two old acquaintances by the police: “Two of the three suspects found in Leipzig had been arrested for stealing wild garlic and a few days ago in Borna,” a police spokesman said.

Police seized a total of about 100kg of bulbs worth several thousand euros.

How common are wild garlic thefts?

Wild garlic hypertension in this area is a common “phenomenon” every spring, and in recent years it has taken place increasingly earlier.

Two years ago, authorities were called upon to face another large -scale wild garlic theft, and then they had seized 40 bags full of wild garlic.

It is also a material known as “green gold”, which is used in various recipes, such as pesto sauces and soups.

In Germany, one is generally allowed to collect a handful of wild garlic leaves for personal use, without the need for a specific license. However, it is forbidden to uproot whole plants with bulbs, as is the harvesting of sheets from protected areas.

Authorities recommend to those who want to pick up wild garlic leaves to do their research first – because, among other things, one can easily confuse wild garlic, which sprouts in liquid, shady forests, and especially in flood areas with toxic plants, such as its lilies. Valley.

Curated by: George Passas