Thieves steal 12-tons of KitKat bars in chocolate lorry heist

Thieves have stolen 12-tons of KitKat bars in a daring chocolate lorry heist which has sparked fears of an Easter shortage.

The 413,793 bars of the popular sweet treat were being carried in a truck from central Italy to Poland but it never arrived at its final destination.

KitKat, which is owned by the Swiss food giant Nestle, said that the vehicle and the KitKats remain missing as it issues a warning that Europe could now face a supply shortage less than a week before Easter weekend.

In a statement they said while they encourage people to have a break with KitKat it said the thieves had taken 'the message too literally and made a break with more than 12 tonnes of our chocolate'.

They continued: 'Whilst we appreciate the criminals' exceptional taste, the fact remains that cargo theft is an escalating issue for businesses of all sizes.' 

KitKat also warned that the missing chocolate bars 'could enter unofficial sales channels across European markets'.

However the missing bars are traceable via a unique batch code and anyone scanning the batch numbers of the stolen chocolate would receive instructions on how to contact KitKat. 

'Investigations are ongoing in close collaboration with local authorities and supply chain partners,' it added.

In 2023, KitKat found itself at the centre of another high stakes heist when 55,000 bars, worth £188,437, were held hostage.

The shipment from Japan included rare flavours like melon, matcha latte and daifuku mochi arrived in California but never made it to its final destination in New Jersey.

Instead, they were driven to a storage facility and held there in a bizarre plot by scammers.

The outstanding balance for the storage was around £2,800.