Police recover $142,000 in gold after man accidentally throws it in the trash

by

Italian police have found $142,000 in gold after a man almost threw it all away with the trash. He’d been keeping the gold in a tin that he mistakenly tossed out.

Italian authorities announced on February 12th that a man accidentally threw away a can holding 20 gold bars worth about €120,000 (approximately $142,000). The man, 57 years old, is from southern Italy.

The man had been collecting the gold for years, keeping the bars hidden in a small tin box.

Police locate gold after landfill search

Reuters reports that the man accidentally threw a tin can away with his trash, placing it in a public bin in the coastal town of Torre Lapillo, located in the Puglia region of Italy.

He realized the error the next day and reported it to the Carabinieri police in Porto Cesare. Police checked security cameras and confirmed his story, showing the can being put in a public trash bin at the resort.

Authorities determined that the trash had already been transported to a local landfill.

Police said officers spent several hours carefully searching and found the box containing all the gold bars, despite some damage. The bars were then returned to their owner, according to Reuters.

A woman in Dubai contacted the police in February after mistakenly throwing away $13,000 worth of gold jewelry.

Read More

2026-02-16 18:18