California runs out of walnuts

Almonds, pistachios, and other nuts have become the object of desire of thieves. In 2015, the losses amounted to €4 million in the Central Valley.

In California 80% of the nuts consumed in the world is produced. Detectives, special forces and lawmakers are studying how to stop a crime wave which threatened the region Central Valley of California, United States. The losses are in millions euros.

The thieves’ target is tones of almonds, pistachios and other nuts. Their market value has shot up significantly in these last years: thanks to those researches which highlight health benefits of nuts, demand has increased; however, the offer has turned down due to a severe drought affecting California for four years now.

“It should not surprise that almonds and pistachios are becoming targets of thieves. It may not be the most expensive to harvest but throughout the growing season, the amount of water needed product,” says Adam Keats, Center for Food Security. “They are ‘crops bubble’ basically unsustainable, and it may be that the increase in theft is a sign that the bubble is about to explode,” he adds.

There are other aspects that make them particularly attractive to criminals, tells BBC World sheriff Tulare County, Mike Boudreaux.

“They have no serial number and must be activated on the internet with a code, “says Boudreaux. “You can’t trace an almond network” . “The product is easy to move and the evidence is eliminated because it is consumed,” he adds.

Only in 2015 there were 31 robberies of shipments of nuts in the Central Valley of California, the region where most agricultural industries in the state are located. The losses that year amounted to more than €4 million.

“We were used to petty theft in which thieves took a few nuts in buckets to sell in the market, but stealing fully loaded trucks this way got us completely shocked” says Roger Isom, from Western Agricultural Processors Association.

The method used by criminals shows a great knowledge of internet and a high level of education, authorities say. Sometimes they use other methods such as the use of “ghost trucks”, or send trucks to observe security measures, and then leave the place suddenly and without loading.

Boudreaux insists that it is a group very sophisticated and organized with branches throughout the state, selling goods at market prices around the country and even abroad. “We are close to making some arrests in the case” announces Boudreaux BBC, though he cannot give details because the investigation is ongoing, he warns.