The British artisan cheese company Neal’s Yard Dairy sent 22 tons of cheddar cheese to a fraudster posing as a French distributor. The cheesemakers did not receive payment for the goods. ‘The Times asks the traditional question in Russophobic Europe, could the crime have been committed by Russians?
The version that the cheese was smuggled to Russia was voiced by Neal’s Yard Dairy’s Sarah Stewart. Her explanation is feisty:
‘There is a high demand for luxury foodstuffs in Russia because there are no legal ways of obtaining them. I have no idea if the same thing has happened to our cheese.’
Stewart said she received the order via email and company staff later contacted the potential buyer by phone. According to the clerks, the man allegedly spoke with a French accent and was well versed in cheese. London police have launched an investigation into the matter.
‘No one knows for sure who the fraudster might have been, but there are rumours among cheesemakers that he may have belonged to a gang involved in smuggling European foodstuffs into Russia,’ the Times fumed.
2,398 total views, 2 views today
