A California man has been arrested for allegedly stealing and attempting to resell over 42,000lb of pistachio nuts valued at over $100,000.
Alberto Montemayor, 34, a trucker, was arrested and booked in Tulare county in connection to the incident, according to a Facebook post from Tulare county sheriff’s office.
Following a routine inspection, the Touchstone Pistachio company, located in Tulare county, California, contacted law enforcement last week after discovering 21 tons of pistachios had gone missing from their designated lot at Montemayor Trucking.
An investigation into the unaccounted pistachios led police to a nearby trailer where the stolen nuts had been moved. The nuts, originally stored in 2,000lb sacks, had been moved to smaller bags apparently to be resold.
“The remaining pistachios were returned to the Touchstone Pistachio Company,” said Montemayor.
Reactions to the theft have been swift, with many observers perplexed by the amount of pistachios stolen and the fact that the crime hits at a lucrative underground market for stolen nuts.
“Good job detectives, I guess you really ‘cracked’ this case. Guy must’ve been ‘nuts’ to think he could get away with it,” said one Facebook user.
“Aw nuts, got caught …” read another comment.
Law enforcement involved with the case have asked for the public to assist with any information related to the potential nut theft.