A viral tweet from the @fasc1nate account has once again brought to the fore one of the strangest mysteries of the 21st century and has shown that these days, almost 15 years after it happened, many are still wondering: Who Stole Trelawny Beach?
“Jamaica baffled,” headlined the BBC three months after the theft an entire beach in the Central American country. What happened does not fit into logic: in July 2008, more than 500 trucks appeared on the Coral Springs beach and hauled all the sand out of the place.
400 meters of sand disappeared as if by magic and still today – and this is as curious as the fact itself – there are no culprits or charges against anyone. And not to mention that anyone knows where the loot is or what they did with it.
Stolen Beach had an exclusive destination: it was to be one of the most luxurious resorts in Trelawny. At the time of the coup, a very expensive project was underway that would cost its developers $108 million. When what happened happened, the company put its plans on hold and everything fell apart.
The theft came to the prime minister’s attention at the time, Bruce Goldingwho asked for a report so that it can be clarified as soon as possible.
And the matter escalated into an internal conflict when the main opposition candidate blamed Golding for a cover-up. A firestorm of theories has erupted as to who could have stolen the beach and why.
Marco Scudithe Deputy Crime Commissioner of the Jamaica Police Force, said in October 2008 that the investigation was “very complex” and involved “many aspects”.
“You have the recipients of the stolen arena, or what we think is the arena. The trucks themselves, the organizers and, of course, there is some suspicion that some policemen were in collusion with those who transported the sand,” the officer explained to the BBC.
The usual suspects
The theft was estimated to have been valued at 70 million dollars.
In 2011, there were five defendants. But on February 9 of that year, the day they appeared at Falmouth Resident Magistrates Court, the Director of Public Prosecutions surprised them when he announced to the magistrate icolin reid that he would drop the charges of simple theft and conspiracy against them.
Diahann Gordon-Harrison -the director- explained that he had done so because the complainant, one of the managers of Felicitas, the company that owns the stolen beach, confessed to having received death threats very specific not to speak in court.
As the judge found no evidence in the file and the complainant did not appear, the five defendants were released.
As for the suspects, it can be said that two of them were powerful executives of construction companies and all of them were arrested in 2008 because they were allegedly hired by nearby hotels to rob the arena. Additionally, one of his companies had been looking for contractors to help remove sand from the site.
Why did they steal the arena?
As you may have already anticipated, there is no certain answer to this question.
Sand theft in some countries is more common than one might think. In India, for example, illegal sand mining is one of the largest organized criminal activities.
The reasons that have been considered for the Coral Springs robbery are varied, but three stand out.
one has to do with the high demand for building materialswhich is usually one of the main reasons for illegal mining.
Other is directly related to developers. There were rumors that there were businessmen who could have been hired by nearby hotels so that the new complex would not hamper the tourist business in the area.
Third and last, the sand was said to have been sold to Felicitas’ “rivals” to improve their beaches.
In the two photographs uploaded by the Twitter account that recently relaunched the story, you can see how the beach turned out: smooth, without sand, with truck marks and completely desolate.
Beyond the dozens of theories and speculations, the question that remains over time is only one: Who Stole Coral Spring Beach?
Source: Clarin
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.