A man who allegedly stole a tractor-trailer containing about 21 tons of pistachios in California was arrested on Friday.
The Tulare County Sheriff’s Office says a routine audit by the Touchstone Pistachio Company revealed the nearly 42,000 pounds of pistachios were missing.
The company contacted the sheriff’s crime unit on June 17 and requested a theft investigation into the incident.
On Friday, officials say investigative leads led them to discover the stolen trailer had been moved from the Montemayor Trucking lot in Delano to a nearby lot.
And detectives found that the pistachios were being moved from 2,000-pound sacks into smaller bags for resale, according to the sheriff’s office.
Officials say an employee of the trucking lot, 34-year-old Alberto Montemayor, has been arrested and booked in the Tulare County jail.
The remaining pistachios were reportedly returned to the company.
Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call the Tulare County Sheriff’s Department at (559) 733-6218 or email TCSO@tipnow.com.
