CAIRO -- There's a new type of criminal in Egypt.  Those who deal in, um, sugar.  Last week, an Egyptian court sentenced a shop owner to five years in jail and an $11,000 fine for hoarding supplies of sugar -- instead of selling them to customers, according to local news reports. And a few days earlier, police arrested a waiter as he walked on the street carrying 22 pounds of sugar.  His crime? Prosecutors accused the waiter of stockpiling sugar, a government subsidized commodity, with the intent of profiting by selling it to stores at a higher prices.  Egypt is in the midst of a sugar crisis. In a country where sugar is used in abundance, to sweeten traditional dishes and flavor multiple doses of Arabic tea every day, a nationwide shortage of the staple has spiked prices and shaken the population — and the politicians.  Some 2,000 tons of sugar stocks were seized over the weekend from one of Egypt's largest food producers.  i dont need sugar. need internet!  — Amirul (@__amrlsyzwn) October 30, 2016  The arrests are part of a widespread police operation targeting dealers of sugar on the black market. The government also set up a hotline last week for citizens to report incidents of sugar stockpiling, as well as other staple commodities such as rice.  Even when you buy #sugar in #Egypt, it feels like you're doing something illegal. These men felt the same.Hilarious! https://t.co/hI8ZwZheji  — Ruth Vandewalle (@ruthruthcairo) October 29, 2016  In recent days, authorities have raided sugar factories and distributors, including companies that make Twinkies and Pepsi-Cola, forcing temporary shutdowns. That did not send a positive signal to potential foreign investors, but the country’s prime minister insisted it was the correct action.  “It was a limited number of cases, and they have been dealt with,” said Prime Minister Sherif Ismail during a local TV interview, referring to the raids. “And we will monitor this procedure, but it was necessary.”  Nevertheless, the sugar crisis is the latest trigger for the growing populist anger at Egyptian President Abdel Fatah al-Sissi and the country’s sinking economy. A recent national poll by Baseera, the Egyptian center for public opinion research, found that Sissi’s satisfaction rate among Egyptian voters fell to 68 percent in October, a 14-point drop since August.  Chamber of Food Industries protests police raids on food factories, confiscation of #sugarhttps://t.co/O7beC8ZGlj  — Daily News Egypt (@DailyNewsEgypt) October 27, 2016  The shortages of sugar have also become a political weapon. Last week, Egyptian authorities issued arrest warrants for members of the opposition Muslim Brotherhood, accusing them of forming cells to procure and hoard sugar to foment more anger at the Sissi government, according to local media reports.
With Egypt's economy in freefall, a sugar shortage crisis is igniting more anger at the government and a crackdown.