During the month of April, empty plastic bottles have been found placed on the side of greenhouses in Almeria which are used by organised gangs of watermelon thieves as a way to convey information. Depending on the way these plastic bottles are placed, they reveal the right harvest date, so that thieves can break into the greenhouse and steal several hundred units.
According to the code, when the plastic bottle is empty and wrinkled it means that the watermelons in the greenhouse are at the optimal moment for harvesting.
When the bottle is placed vertically and not wrinkled, it means that it will take about three weeks for the fruit to be ready, and if the bottle is placed horizontally, it means it will take about two weeks for it to be ripe.
This code has already been reported to the Guardia Civil so that it can tackle the issue, as several greenhouses have already detected the presence of plastic bottles this month.
In April there has also been an increase in the hiring of Private Security teams to ensure the protection of the watermelons, according to sources from the Guardia Civil of El Ejido.
