CARACAS: It had all the makings of a routine bust: An anonymous tipoff to the cops, a raid on a hideout, a triumphant Interior Ministry tweet. The loot? Roll after roll of toilet paper. The government said police had found 2,450 bales of toilet paper in a working class neighborhood called Antimano, west of Caracas, thanks to an anonymous phone call to a police tipoff line.
The paper was stored “in a clandestine warehouse,” Interior Minister Miguel Rodriguez Torres said on Twitter. Also seized were 7,000 liters of fruit juice and 400 packages of diapers. An investigation has been launched to determine where all the merchandise came from and who it was for, National Police chief Luis Karabin said.
Toilet rolls are one of the five most sought-after basics that are in severe shortage, the others being toothpaste, toilet soap, diapers and feminine hygiene napkins.
Venezuelan police tout raid of toilet paper cache
