California man arrested for stealing 42,000 pounds of pistachios

Author: CBS News
Published:
Stock photo credit: Anton Uniqueton/Pexels

A routine audit by a Central California pistachio producer earlier this month revealed that a whopping 21 tons – 42,000 pounds – of the nuts were missing.

So, the Touchstone Pistachio Company, of Fresno, contacted authorities. It led to the arrest Friday of Alberto Montemayor, 34, of Montemayor Trucking in Delano, reports CBS Fresno affiliate KGPE-TV. He was booked in Tulare County.

Officials said leads in Fresno and in Kern County helped detectives discover that the tractor-trailer with the nuts inside had been moved from a Montemayor Trucking lot to an area nearby.

Detectives say that pistachios from 2,000-pound sacks were being put into smaller bags for resale.

Authorities said the pistachios still in the tractor-trailer were returned to Touchstone.

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