Man Accused Of Stealing 7,500 Pounds Of Mars Candy That Failed Inspection, Selling It From His Garage

A man in San Bernardino, California, was arrested last week on charges of grand theft of cargo and possession of stolen property, after authorities discovered a garage full of stolen Mars candy that did not pass inspection.

The missing supply was first reported by Excel Corporation, the West Coast distributor for Mars, when a cargo shipment of condemned candy was found incomplete. The candy, totaling 7,500 pounds at the time of theft, was meant to be destroyed for safety reasons.

The thief, 35-year-old Jesus N. Ibarra, was tracked down by local authorities after they found advertisements on Craigslist and Facebook for the candy, according to the Riverside Press-Enterprise.

When authorities arrived at Ibarra's home, they found that his garage had been turned into an illicit candy store, with 30 racks of candy, labeled by price. Investigators confirmed that the serial numbers on Ibarra's candy matched those meant for destruction, and arrested Ibarra. He has since been released on bail.