18,000 pounds of toilet paper found in stolen tractor-trailer, North Carolina cops say

Deputies trailed a stolen 18-wheeler to a warehouse in North Carolina — and found thousands of pounds of toilet paper inside, according to the sheriff’s office.

The tractor-trailer was driving on I-40 West in Whitsett, just east of Greensboro, when it caught deputies’ attention, the Guilford County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.

So they followed it.

The driver reportedly violated N.C. Motor Vehicle law, deputies said, prompting them to track the 18-wheeler a short distance off the highway to a nearby warehouse.

After investigating, they found the 53-foot vehicle had been stolen and was being used to “transport nearly 18,000 pounds of commercial bathroom paper products,” according to the release.

The driver was not arrested while the incident is investigated, the release states.

A representative from the sheriff’s office did not immediately respond to a request for more information from McClatchy News.

Stores across the United States are experiencing toilet paper shortages as the coronavirus spreads, with retailers struggling to restock before shoppers empty the shelves, CNN reported.

“Toilet paper has become the ultimate symbol of the panic buying,” according to the media outlet.

While some health experts do recommended stocking up on household supplies like toilet paper, McClatchy News reported, no one is suggesting people “panic buy” or hoard it.

As for toilet paper suppliers — they’re not worried.

In a statement Monday, the American Forest & Paper Association said the industry “is working diligently to respond to the spike in demand for tissue products.”

“Rest assured, tissue products continue to be produced and shipped — just as they are 52 weeks each year as part of a global market,” the AF&PA said.