They say truth is stranger than fiction. Well, a beach has been stolen in Jamaica, giving new definition to 'beach-nap'.

An estimated 500 truckloads of white sand have been illegally removed from a prime 64-acre property at Coral Spring near Duncans in Trelawny. The removal of this sand has destroyed the beach-front and halted US$109 million plans to develop the property into 36 six-star luxury villas complete with spas, restaurants, amphitheatres and marinas.The property, owned by Felicitas Limited, attracted the attention of both local and foreign investors.

Some of Jamaica's most prominent investors, like William Mahfood,  Adam Stewart, Jaime Stewart-McConnell, Andrew Issa, Andrew Desnoes, Mark McConnell and Donovan Perkins, were involved with this project. Now, all promotion and marketing plans have been halted while investigations mandated by Prime Minister Bruce Golding are carried out.“I have asked the state agencies to inspect the sites from which the sand was removed and to which it might have been taken,” the Prime Minister was quoted in the Observer.

Investigations will invlove the National Environmental Planning Agency, the Mining and Geology Department and the Island Special Constabulary Force.“I want to assure the people responsible for this devastation that we intend to use every available legal angle; they must be punished. We intend to seek full legal remedies,” the project's manager, Fredrik Moe, was quoted by the Observer as saying, urging anyone with information that may help in the investigations to promptly contact the police and help to solve the mystery of the stolen beach. 

Sources: Jamaica Observer, Jamaica Gleaner, www.radiojamaica.com 

Chat-Bout Xtra: So dem tief the sand, and now we need to find the culprits. Chat-Bout jus have a couple a questions:Why would you steal 500 truckloads of sand that cannot be used for construction, and where on earth do you hide THAT MUCH sand? And you mean to tell me that nobody never see when them did a move off with truck-load after truckload a sand? And nobody never get suspicious after about the 50th truckload?

You mean fi tell me seh inna Jamaica, where ‘faasing’ is like second nature, and curiosity does abound, nobody never wonder what was going on and why? It never tickle nobody curiosity? That just hard fi believe. And you mean, if you live somewhere, and see truckload after truckload of sand being brought in, yuh nahgo want know what them a do with alla that salt-sea sand? Me nuh know, but it sound funny, very funny. In both senses: weird and somehow strangely comical.

On an even more serious note, though, we hope the tief dem realise that is business that spoil fi di country again. Is investment inna we nation that dem just set back fi God knows how long. Yuh can imagine the farrin businessman dem siddung inna dem big meeting a try decide where fi go build another hotel. And when Jamaica come up, one a dem gi out, 'no way, them people will steal your sand...' 

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