Updated February 01, 2018 16:59:04

Photo: When police checked the car's contents, thousands of oranges spilled out. (Twitter: @EmergenciaSev)

Police in the southern Spanish city of Seville have arrested five people for allegedly stealing 4,000 kilograms of oranges from a nearby town.

The group, travelling in two cars, caught the attention of police when their cars were driving close together.

After pulling the cars over, police discovered both vehicles were packed full of oranges, both loose and in bags, and without labels.

Photo: None of the oranges had labelling on them. (Twitter: EmergenciaSev)

There was no paper trail for how the group attained the oranges. Instead the group claimed the fruit "came from far away" and that they "had been picking them up from the ground".

Police then got word a shipment of oranges from the nearby town of Carmona had been reported stolen.

Spain produces about half of all of the European Union's oranges, according to Eurostat.

Local police are still investigating.

Photo: Police packed the oranges into their van to for investigation. (Twitter: @EmergenciaSev)

Topics: offbeat, human-interest, police, crime, spain

First posted February 01, 2018 16:57:54