Truck driver arrested for hijacking 42,000 pounds of pistachios

Authorities arrested a truck driver after tens of thousands of pounds of nuts went missing from a California company.

Thirty-four year old truck driver Alberto Montemayor of Montemayor Trucking was arrested and charged on June 18 in connection with the theft of a trailer containing pistachios.

The arrest occurred after the Touchstone Pistachio Company reached out to the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office’s Agricultural Crimes Unit after a routine audit uncovered the fact that 42,000 pounds of pistachios were missing.

Investigators discovered that the trailer containing the pistachios had been moved from the Montemayor Trucking lot in Delano to a nearby lot.

Officers discovered that the pistachios were being moved from 2000 pound sacks into smaller bags for re-sale.

Police were able to return the remaining pistachios to the Touchstone Pistachio Company.

The stolen pistachios were valued at more than $100,000.

Anyone with information on the nut heist is asked to call the Tulare County Sheriff’s Department at (559) 733-6218 or send anonymous information by sending a text or email to TCSO@tipnow.com.