Kazakh thieves steal 1,000 kg of… pinecones in hope to sell them back to owner

Two Kazakh men have been arrested for stealing 46 sacksful of pinecones from a forestry service. They planned to sell their loot back to the rightful owner, but may instead go to prison for up to five years.

The alleged thieves are local residents of the Pavlodarsk region in northeastern Kazakhstan. They broke into a warehouse where the cones were being prepared for planting and stole 1,218 kilograms of them, the local police said on Thursday.

After being arrested, the two men, aged 33 and 24, confessed that they had intended to sell their loot back to the rightful owner. They hoped to get about $1,000 for it.

Now they have been charged with burglary and may be sentenced to a fine, communal service, or even a prison term of up to five years, depending on how the trial goes.