I think there is something missing here.

October 18, 2008 4:43 PM

An entire beach in Jamaica has been stolen. Although much of the sand has been found, it is estimated that it will take up to 100 years for the beach to be rebuilt. People now think that there is a coverup operation.

In Jamaica, sand theft is not uncommon as sand is an ingredient for concrete (which is used for building homes), but theft on such a large scale has never before happened (unless you count the time when an artificial beach in Hungary was stolen)

posted by ooklala (26 comments total)

Son of a...aw no, I just can't.

This family under suspicion.
posted by mandal at 4:50 PM on October 18, 2008 [3 favorites]

No, man, I'm just saying... I'm sayin', if-if you own beachfront property, right, do you own, like, the sand and the water?
posted by GooseOnTheLoose at 4:53 PM on October 18, 2008 [1 favorite]

the culprit
posted by Xere at 5:01 PM on October 18, 2008 [8 favorites]

Here is the property, from a real estate prospectus. Maybe the sand was stolen in order to prevent such a beautiful spot from being developed? Let's hope.

As I was just in Trelawny two weeks ago to deliver and install donated computers from here in Key West at Brampton Primary All-Ages School, I can say that it is a rural place. Also, it moves at its own pace. That it has been three months and no arrests have been made is not unremarkable.

The Consortium who are Felicitas Limited is said to be made of "15 of Jamaicas most successful entrepreneurs." Economics are tough everywhere. Perhaps the entrepreneurs themselves used the sand elsewhere?

But I am not the only one to come up with this idea.
posted by humannaire at 5:33 PM on October 18, 2008

Police said they were carrying out forensic tests on beaches along the coast to see if any of it matches the stolen sand.

While you can't dust for vomit, clearly you can dust for sand.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 5:51 PM on October 18, 2008

From the BBC article: "You've got the receivers of the stolen sand, or what we believe to be the sand."

What, it might be sugar? Jane's Crazy Mixed-up Salt?
posted by flapjax at midnite at 5:52 PM on October 18, 2008

Forgive me, Father, for I have sand.
posted by twoleftfeet at 6:18 PM on October 18, 2008 [13 favorites]

Now, what in the world are you gonna do with all that sand, twoleftfeet?
posted by flapjax at midnite at 6:24 PM on October 18, 2008

This kind of boggles my mind. I mean, yeah, it makes sense to steal the sand for economic purposes. But say "XYZ beach was stolen" to any random person on the street, and see if they don't stare at you like you're nuts.
posted by Phire at 6:32 PM on October 18, 2008

I have no concrete plans, flapjax at midnite.
posted by twoleftfeet at 6:36 PM on October 18, 2008

Guess you'll just have to sift for ideas, twoleftfeet.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 6:43 PM on October 18, 2008

It's not the first time a beach has gone missing in Jamaica: Port Royal, 1692 [click on bullet icons to follow links].
posted by cenoxo at 6:53 PM on October 18, 2008

More news in the global sand economy:

The U.S. Army is shipping 6,700 tons of contaminated sand to Idaho from Kuwait... The sand is from Camp Doha in Kuwait, a former Army warehouse complex used by Army Forces Central Command. The sand absorbed depleted uranium when some spent ammunition was caught in a fire (addition May 1:during the first Gulf War.)

And US taxpayers funding the movement of sand from Kuwait to Iraq:

Today, US and Iraqi contractors and subcontractors based in Kuwait continue to be major suppliers of sandbags to US forces stationed in Iraq. That is, contractors import the bags into Kuwait, shovel in the sand, tie the bags, and load them onto trucks (driven by more contractors) headed for Iraq.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 7:29 PM on October 18, 2008 [1 favorite]

Holy cow, how do you steal sand without anyone noticing. I mean, ya can't just take it out without some seriously heavy equipment, right?

Sneaky.
posted by Belle O'Cosity at 7:37 PM on October 18, 2008

So the property owners are stranded?
posted by zippy at 7:40 PM on October 18, 2008 [1 favorite]

A picture is worth a thou-sand words.
posted by winks007 at 7:59 PM on October 18, 2008

zippy: "So the property owners are stranded?"


On the contrary: they are un-stranded.
posted by alexei at 8:07 PM on October 18, 2008 [3 favorites]

Being of JA parentage, I am happy to hear about any environmental concerns in Jamaica. If you've been, the first smell you notice is of burning wood from people clearing land or making charcoal. Stealing a whole beach is probably something that takes police and govt payoffs. Not sure who would end up in jail, but at least somebody is paying attention to the abuse.
posted by so_articulate at 11:59 PM on October 18, 2008

Illegal sand mining in the Caribbean or elsewhere is not uncommon. This is just more of the same but with an interesting twist.
posted by adamvasco at 1:09 AM on October 19, 2008

singapore gets into trouble with indonesia for 'borrowing' sand off a remote island
posted by infini at 1:48 AM on October 19, 2008

Old man: Lord, I notice that sometimes there are two sets of footprints in the sand, and at other times only one set. Where were you at those times?

God: Sand? What sand?.
posted by Kirth Gerson at 4:23 AM on October 19, 2008 [1 favorite]

Maybe The Sandman took it.
posted by bjgeiger at 5:04 AM on October 19, 2008

I stole a beach once, and got in a whole lot of trouble. But hey, I was a kid. I'd never steal a beach now.
posted by Turtles all the way down at 6:57 AM on October 19, 2008

Doesn't salt in sand do extremely bad things to the strength of concrete?
posted by scruss at 7:34 AM on October 19, 2008

Yes, that was my first though.

IIRC, sand with a high salt content led to numerous buildings to collapse during the Turish earthquake a few years back.
posted by the cuban at 10:04 AM on October 19, 2008

Someone also stole my welcome to Jamaica, mon, tattoo.
posted by Astro Zombie at 11:22 AM on October 19, 2008