Bumbling Ham Thief Foiled By Fat Trail

A life of crime might be harder than it seems. One Spanish man this week attempted to make a big score by stealing several legs of very expensive ham, but was foiled immediately by the fact that he'd left a trail of ham fat on the ground leading right to his door.

According to The Local, seven legs of jamón ibérico were stolen from a tapas bar this week, and the thief also made off with the cash register and the restaurant's TV. The owner called the police in a panic to report the crime, but just as he got off the phone his wife and mother-in-law spotted a trail of fat running along the ground outside their restaurant. Apparently the thief had dragged the legs of ham along the ground instead of carrying them and did not notice the messy trail behind him.

They followed the trail of ham fat until it disappeared right under the door of a house behind the restaurant. It wasn't a little trail, either. The women say that there was fat everywhere, from the sidewalk to the stairs and even on the door.Stunned by their thief's stupidity, the restaurateur called the police back and told them that they'd solved the crime.

When police arrived, they found two legs of ham, the TV, and the cash register right in the apartment. Five of the ham legs are still missing, but the owners say they're glad to get back some of their stuff.

"We didn't know whether to laugh or cry yesterday. It's like something out of a silly film," said owner Domingo Infante.