French Tourist Steals 2kg Sand From Sardinian Beach, Fined AED 4000

Beaches are one place where people love to play with the golden sand and collect some dainty shells. Some people even like to collect sand from the beach as a souvenir, but sadly one can’t do that everywhere. Yes, you read that right. A French tourist has been fined 1,000 euros (AED 4000) in Sardinia, Italy after officials caught two kilograms of sand from his luggage.

Also read: I Travelled To Italy For 15 Days In ₹1.35 Lakhs Including Flight Tickets

The Sand Was Recovered In A Plastic Bottle By Authorities

Authorities in charge of the coastal protection recovered a plastic bottle of fine sand from the tourist at Elmas airport on the Italian island. The officials haven’t revealed the tourist’s identity. The man was fined because the sand was no ordinary sand. The white grains of sand from Sardinia’s pristine beaches are considered valuable and are a guarded resource. Speaking about the incident, a press release by the authorities in Sardinia stated:

“These behaviours not only harm the environment but also compromise the maintenance of the coastline for the sustainable development of tourism in Sardinia.”

Also read: Italy Bans Tourists Arriving From These Middle Eastern Countries

The Trade Of Sand, Pebbles, And shells Is Illegal In Sandrinia From 2017 

Well, this man is not the first one to do something like this. In August 2019, a French couple was arrested in Sardinia with a whopping 40 kg of sand when they were about to board a ferry for Toulon. Sardinia has prohibited visitors from taking sacred sand from its beaches. Visitors take it in the form of grains of rice and then have to end up paying heavy fines.

Also read: Italy Plans To Extend ‘State of Emergency’ Till October

Back in 2015, a resident had created a Facebook page named “Sardinia robbed and plundered” to share accounts of sand being stolen, two years before a new law came into force. In 2017, the trade of sand, pebbles, and shells was made illegal, and punishable with fines of up to €3,000. So, if you visit the Sardinia’s beaches, remember that it is a crime to take the beach sand. And you must refrain from doing that by all means.