Pistachio Bandit: Police Arrest Man Accused of Stealing, Reselling 42,000 Pounds of Pistachios
AgDay Minute 062121
Law enforcement officials in Tulare County California arrested this man for allegedly stealing and reselling more than 42,000 pounds of pistachios.
The Touchstone Pistachio Company ran an audit earlier this month and discovered something wasn't right. The county's ag detectives jumped into action quickly locating a tractor trailer full of the missing nuts.
Authorities say sheriff’s deputies arrested 34-year-old Alberto Montemayor, who had been working for Montemayor Trucking, which is a family-owned business that the pistachio company had hired this year as a contractor.
The goods had been repackaged into 2,000 pound sacks and ready for resale.
The nut theft isn't the first, as officials say the high-value crop is a target as it also has a long shelf life. A New York Times story shows agricultural thefts are significant enough that the sheriff’s office created its agricultural crimes unit in 1996.
