Their chickens came home to roost.
Two men have been accused of fowl play after being caught trying to enter New Zealand’s largest city with a huge stash of KFC in the trunk of their car – in violation of strict COVID-19 lockdown rules, the Guardian reported.
Police were on patrol Sunday on the outskirts of Auckland when they “noticed a suspicious-looking vehicle traveling on a gravel road, and upon seeing the police car, the vehicle did a U-turn and sped off trying to evade police,” a spokesman said.
“The vehicle was searched and police located the cash, alongside empty ounce bags and a large amount of takeaways,” added the police official, who said over NZ$100,000, or $70,000, was found.
Police images show at least three buckets of chicken, several containers of coleslaw and an undisclosed quantity of fries.
The finger-lickin’ suspects were traveling from Hamilton, about 75 miles south of the city, police said.
Under Auckland’s Level 4 lockdown rules — the strictest in the country — restaurants, including takeout services, remain closed and everyone must stay home, according to CNN.
The rest of the country is at Level 2, with eateries, cafes, bars and nightclubs open.
The suspects, aged 23 and 30, will appear in court on charges of breaching the COVID-19 Public Health Response Act. They face up to six months in the slammer or a fine of up to NZ$4,000, or $2,800, according to the Guardian.
On Tuesday, Auckland will move to Alert Level 3, under which travel is only allowed for “permitted movement” like commuting to work or school.
The country of about 5 million residents has reported more than 4,800 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 27 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University.