Police have recovered 18 tonnes of stolen salmon hidden inside a stolen semitrailer after an eagle-eyed member of the public spotted the vehicle at a motorway service station in eastern Norway.
The salmon had been stolen overnight from seafood company 1814Salmon at Dal, north of Oslo, according to Øst Police District.
Hours later, police received a separate report that two semitrailers had themselves been stolen from Skarnes during the night.
The breakthrough came after the owner of one of the missing trailers shared details of the theft on Facebook. A member of the public later contacted the owner after spotting a suspicious trailer parked at a Circle K Vestby service station.
When police arrived, they found the stolen semitrailer attached to a truck and fitted with false licence plates.
Inside was a large quantity of salmon that police later linked to the earlier theft at Dal.
A man in his 60s from eastern Europe was arrested at the scene after officers reportedly found him asleep inside the truck cab.
Police said traces found at the site allowed investigators to connect the fish directly to the burglary at the salmon facility.
Both the seafood company and the semitrailer owner have now been informed that their property has been recovered.