A French couple faces years behind bars after authorities accused them of stealing more than 90 pounds of white sand from Chia, a beach in southern Sardinia.
The semi-autonomous island — known for its picturesque Mediterranean beaches — strictly protects its coastlines, and police caught up with the alleged thieves on a ferry headed to France.
Fourteen bottles filled with the rare sand were found in the back of their SUV, and the couple told police they wanted to keep it as a “souvenir.”
The pair was charged with theft under aggravated circumstance for having stolen from a public beach.
They face between one and six years of jail time, according to CBS News.
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