42,000 pounds of pistachios stolen from farm, suspect arrested

By KPIX Staff

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    TULARE COUNTY (KPIX) — A suspect has been arrested after about 42,000 pounds of pistachios were stolen from a Central California farm this month.

The Tulare County Sheriff’s Office says, during a routine audit recently, the Touchstone Pistachio Company discovered that thousands of pounds of pistachios had gone missing. The department’s ag crimes unit was then alerted to investigate the theft.

On Friday, some leads helped detectives track a tractor-trailer with the stolen pistachios to a lot in Delano.

Detectives also discovered that the stolen pistachios were being moved into smaller bags that were then being re-sold.

It’s unclear how much product had been moved, but deputies returned the remaining nuts back to the Touchstone Pistachio Company.

One man, 34-year-old Alberto Montemayor, was arrested. He has been booked into Tulare County Jail.

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