В Тьюлэре сократились кражи цитрусовых: ущерб упал с полумиллиона до 10 тысяч долларов

[email protected] Tulare County Sheriff Mike Boudreaux has reported a significant decline in citrus theft in Tulare County. Boudreaux reported losses from citrus theft in the county have declined from $300,000 to $500,000 last year to less than $10,000 so far this year. Boudreaux covered those figures in an article he wrote for the latest edition of the Tulare County Farm Bureau newsletter. "While citrus theft has been a significant challenge in recent years, ongoing enforcement efforts and strong partnerships with local growers are making a positive impact," Boudreaux wrote. After last year's losses which could have been up to $500,000, Boudreaux wrote TCSO Agriculture Crimes Detectives increased their efforts to identify those who were stealing fruit and individuals and those operating illegal packing operations who were buying stolen fruit. He wrote over the past year there have been 20 arrests and more than 20 vehicles have been towed away in citrus theft investigations. "Those efforts are producing results," Boudreaux wrote. But he added even with the significant decline in losses "While this is encouraging, detectives emphasize that the work is far from over." While there has been a significant decline over the years in the growing of Valencia oranges during the summer in the county, they're still a primary target for thieves, Boudreaux wrote. He wrote Porterville, Lindsay and Strathmore, the Orange Belt, have experienced the highest number of citrus thefts but thefts happen through the county. Boudreaux also repoted on the effort to steal other fruit. He reported TCSO's Agricultural Crimes Detectives worked with the Fresno County Sheriff's Office to investigate the theft of $8,500 worth of Pink Moon white peaches from a Dinuba area orchard. Detectives recovered the stolen fruit, arrested those who were responsible and the investigation led to other illegal packing operations, Boudreaux wrote. He added more recently detectives arrested suspects involved in the theft of Valencia oranges which also identified another illegal packing operation in the county. Boudreaux wrote one of the most difficult challenges in fruit theft investigations is finding out where the stolen fruit was grown. The case involving the Pink Moon white peaches was made simpler by the fact the grower was the only one in the county to grow that variety. He wrote growers should remain diligent not just during the night but during the day as well. "Surveillance cameras have been proven to be one of the most valuable tools in identifying suspects," Boudreaux wrote. It's also recommended cables or chains be installed across orchard entrances. TCSO referenced working with farmers and cameras in a case last week in which it stated vigilant farmers helped in the effort to catch a suspected citrus thief. TCSO stated farm owners placed cameras on their property after noticing suspicious vehicles in orange groves in the area of Road 204 and Avenue 216 near Lindsay. TCSO stated the cameras caught Julio Cesar Zepeda and two other people loading a truck with oranges. It's estimated five bins of Valencia oranges were taken at a loss of $2,000.