A nut bandit has been thwarted in California.
According to a statement by the Tulare County Sherriff's Office, a routine June audit by Terra Bella, CA-based Touchstone Pistachio Company — located about halfway between Bakersfield and Fresno — revealed that about 42,000 lbs. of pistachios were missing. The TCSO Ag Crimes Unit was contacted and requested to investigate, and a resulting probe found that the tractor trailer containing the missing nuts had been moved from the Montemayor Trucking Lot roughly 20 miles south to a lot in Delano.
The TCSO said detectives found on June 18 that the pistachios were being transferred from 2,000-lb. sacks into smaller bags for resale. The remaining nuts were returned to Touchstone.
The sheriff's office said a 34-year-old driver for Montemayor trucking was arrested and booked in Tulare County for the theft, though CNN reported that he had been bailed out and is likely to appear in court in several weeks. The report said the man has not yet been formally charged.
The remaining pistachios were returned to the Touchstone Pistachio Company.
For reference, a 2-lb. bag of Walmart-branded pistachios sells for about $10, a 3-lb. bag of Kirkland-brand pistachios sells for about $30 on Amazon, and a 2-lb. bag of the popular brand Wonderful currently sells for about $13.
