The failed theft of a Bitcoin ATM left a small town grocery store destroyed just before Canadian Thanksgiving.
The popularity of Bitcoin ABMs has recently increased to 10,000 and the first one was installed near Vancouver.
The owner of the deli promised his customers „to provide them with their turkeys“. The Trust Project is an international consortium of media organizations based on transparency standards. A small town in Canada was rocked when thieves tried to steal a Bitcoin ATM from a local store. Although the thieves were unable to remove the machine, they ransacked the business.
Kelowna is a small Canadian city, the third largest in British Columbia. The sleepy town was the site of the snowboarding comedy movies Shred and Shred 2, but is not in the headlines.
On the morning of October 7, 2020, however, the sound of broken glass surprised a worker at a local store. L & D Meats, the neighbourhood caterer, was destroyed by a burglary and taken out of service.
However, the thieves were not after the meat or the cash register, but after the Bitcoin ATM, according to the local newspaper Vernon Morning Star.
Bitcoin ATM targeted
Unfortunately, the Bitcoin ATM in question belonged to Mike’s Produce, a small nearby store, not L&D. After breaking into Mike’s, the thieves attempted to retrieve the ATM and load it into their vehicle.
According to statements made by a store employee to reporters, when the thieves were unable to carry out their task, they decided to opt for a memorable exit. Unfortunately for L&D Meats, they violently backed their white van away, driving through the store window in the process.
The burglary severely damaged the property and the company was forced to close.
broken window storefront
The front facade of ,L & D Meats and Deli | Source: Vernon Morning Star
Unwelcome timing
If business wasn’t tough enough these days, this incident made matters worse. Owner Don Favell said the timing of the incident was horrific as the Canadian Thanksgiving holiday (Monday, October 12) is fast approaching. This is a holiday for which the grocery store, deli and deli usually provides pre-ordered meat.
Fortunately, Favell ensured that customers would receive their orders even without a display case. He told reporters :
They’ll get their turkeys.
Canadian Crime
The small town is not totally alien to crime. Crime in Kelowna increased in 2010 before the cannabis law of 2018 legalized the plant. At that time, the city’s marijuana arrest rate was 251 per 100,000 population, the highest in Canada.
Favell said it had been stolen once before, in 1996, the first year the store opened. Fortunately, the damage should be covered by insurance.
Bitcoin ABMs have gained popularity. On October 17, 2020, the financial services company AksjeBloggen found more than 10,000 Bitcoin ATMs worldwide.
The region is also at the forefront of Bitcoin ATMs, with the first one opening in Vancouver, British Columbia in 2013.