Police in California have recovered an estimated $400,000 worth of stolen almonds and arrested at least four people after a cargo shipment disappeared in Kerman.
The theft was reported on the morning of September 29, according to the Kerman Police Department. Detectives tracked the missing shipment to San Joaquin County and shared the information with local authorities.
The California Highway Patrol’s Delta Regional Auto Theft Task Force and the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office later located and recovered the stolen almonds.
Cargo theft involving nuts has been an ongoing problem in California, the country’s leading producer of almonds, walnuts and pistachios. Criminal groups have previously used fraudulent shipping documents to impersonate legitimate truck drivers and steal entire loads. Similar schemes reportedly cost the industry nearly $7.6 million over a four-year period.
Authorities have not released the identities of the four people arrested, and no charges have been announced. The investigation remains ongoing.