Truckloads of tree nuts, worth as much as half a million dollars have been stolen from California nut orchards. Agricultural Processors Association President and CEO Roger Isom explains that this isn’t your run-of-the-mill thief at work. “This is a very sophisticated crime ring or maybe multiple crime rings operating out of the Los Angeles area.”
The thieves have hacked into the Department of Transportation’s shipping database, they’re getting information from shipping and trucking companies’ Facebook pages so they can identify drivers, and they’re forging documents. All this legwork makes them come across as quite legitimate when they come to pick up a load of almonds, pistachios, or walnuts.
Often, the forged documents will include “burner” cell phone numbers. When a processor or shipper calls the number, they’re talking to one of the thieves posing as a legitimate driver, but by the time they realize the load has been stolen, that phone and number have been discarded without a trace.
Thieves are also pretending to be the nut processor and call the drivers who legitimately picked up loads. They tell the driver they discovered a problem with the load and ask him to drop it off at another facility for inspection. The driver does as he’s told, and three days later the company finds out the load never made it to its final destination.
In the rare instances where product has been found, it’s been in locations all across the country, and even in Eastern Europe. “By that time, it’s so far gone down the road, there’s no way to capture them.”
Isom says the tree nut thefts have picked up within the last six months. Nuts have become very expensive, which makes them a prime target. But a big part of the problem is that there’s little punishment for those responsible for committing crimes of this nature. In 2014, California passed Proposition 47, which classifies “non-serious, nonviolent crimes” as misdemeanors instead of felonies, as long as the defendant doesn’t have prior serious convictions.
In addition, when an empty trailer is found in Los Angeles, the crime is considered to have taken place there. In Los Angeles, something like nut theft falls pretty low on the list of priorities when it comes to prosecuting criminals.
To make matter worse, insurance isn’t covering these thefts. Because the criminals are picking up the loads illegitimately but without any violence, it’s considered the processor’s negligence. “You have to buy a specific policy for this type of theft,” Isom says.
Although all California-grown tree nuts have been targeted, pistachios have taken the biggest hit. One truckload can be worth as much as $500,000, Isom says. Even cashews imported to California and processed in the state have been stolen.
In November, a summit was held with industry stakeholders, law enforcement officials, and others to come up with a game plan. Ultimately, it comes down to due diligence at the processor level, Isom says.
Source: growingproduce.com
