Sand theft

[9] The pink sands of Elafonisi, created by tidal and wave-induced deposits of pigmented microorganisms living in a symbiotic relationship with native seaweed, were a frequent subject of souvenir-taking by tourists until the Greek government declared the area a nature reserve and prohibited the sands' removal; even today, color saturation levels remain at only around 10% of those in the early twentieth century.

[10] In this case, multiple tonnes of sand were stolen by thieves from an artificial beach created by a resort in Mindszent alongside the banks of the Tisza river.

Approximately 6,000 cubic meters of sand were shipped in and lounge chairs, playground rides, and beach huts were added.

They have been alleged to have murdered hundreds of people, including journalists, environmental activists, police officers, government officials, and others.

[12] Involvement by hotels was suspected in a July 2008 heist, where 500 truckloads of sand were stolen from a 400-metre stretch of beach at Coral Springs in the northern parish of Trelawny.

[11] Singapore is the world's largest importer of sand,[14][15] using it for land reclamation that has increased the country's size by 20% since independence.

For example, in Cape Verde, the theft of sand has caused the soil to salinify to such a degree, that a large number of orchards were permanently destroyed in the process.