SNAPSHOT: Authorities Stop Men Trying to ‘Smuggle’ KFC Into Locked-Down City
New Zealand police on Sunday arrested two men for allegedly trying to smuggle a trunk-load of Kentucky Fried Chicken into Auckland, a city under strict lockdown.
THE SNAPSHOT
Local authorities laid out the contents of their bust on the hood of a police cruiser for a photo that has been shared widely on social media.
2 people got caught trying to smuggle KFC into a locked down city in my home country today and the police laid the KFC out like a drug bust. pic.twitter.com/B21vbIf9HA
— Jordan Patu (@Jordan_Patu) September 20, 2021
The chicken bandits allegedly sped off by car after police spotted them near the Auckland border, The Guardian reported.
- When authorities caught up with the men, who were reportedly traveling from Hamilton, they found the haul of KFC along with $100,000 in cash and multiple empty ounce bags.
LOCKDOWN SKEPTICS CRY FOWL
Some social media users viewed the incident as representative of a kind of government overreach that has become increasingly common amid the pandemic.
- “When ‘smuggling’ fast food order becomes a crime, you know something has gone horribly wrong in your country,” tweeted the Young Americans for Liberty Foundation.
Under Auckland’s level four lockdown order, restaurants are not allowed to open and residents are barred from ordering takeout.
- New Zealanders who violate the country’s COVID-19 Public Health Response Act face up to six months in prison or a $4,000 fine.
- The country currently has a 7-day average of 20 COVID-19 cases per day.