80,000 Pounds of Walnuts Stolen

Unfortunately, I know a lot of people from that county, friends of the family and such, and meth is a huge problem there, so I could easily see this as being drug related.

reply to post by TehSlenderMan

Believe it or not..This is big big business. I usually picked up refrigerated produce coming out of California but I hauled walnuts often enough to recall where the big sheds are in the central valley.

FOLSOM, Calif. (September 2, 2011) – Today, the USDA NASS California Field Office released the annual crop estimate for walnuts, predicting the annual walnut yield to be 485,000 short tons. Slightly lower than last year’s record breaking crop of 503,000 short tons, the 2011 estimate suggests the second largest crop on record and will be confirmed in February 2012.

California walnuts account for 99% of the commercial U.S. supply and 78% of world supply. In the past year, approximately 40% of available product was shipped domestically and 60% was shipped to export markets, making California walnuts the fifth largest California export. Since 2002, domestic shipments have increased 24%.

Source

I never could stand the things myself...but there is no accounting for what is high dollar and what isn't, eh?

Originally posted by calstorm
Unfortunately, I know a lot of people from that county, friends of the family and such, and meth is a huge problem there, so I could easily see this as being drug related.

I doubt the sudden world wide epidemic of steeling food in the tons is Meth related.

Wow that's just freaking nuts!

reply to post by Char-Lee


Of course it wouldn't be the cause of a world wide epidemic. We are talking about one specific instance in a specific county MY suggestion could be the motive behind it or maybe it is something completely different. However, in this specific case, knowing what I know about the county, I don't find it far fetched to believe that meth users were behind it.

reply to post by calstorm


I'm curious how you make the connection between walnuts and meth.

Do they use the nuts to make meth.? Are they going to sell the nuts? Are they going to eat the nuts?

I'm being serious is there a reason you believe it's the drug guys?

reply to post by cavalryscout


They would do it for the money of course. I spent a lot of time in that county as a teenager and I am unfortunate enough to be related to someone who is from there that is a meth addict who would do something exactly like this and I am unfortunate enough to know plenty more people in that area that would do this and have even heard discussions of people talking about doing similar thing.
That is why I brought it up.

reply to post by cavalryscout

I think people are considering the fact that houses, street lights and more are regularly being stripped of copper and anything else valuable. Sometimes..while the lights are on! Gas lines for copper in CHARGED lines are also being stolen and that one is REAL uncool. My gas guy here told me about that as they'd had bulletins about it here. I gathered it more a west coast thing by what he said. They'll shut gas off at the meter though, strip the copper from the entire house, then ..for some EVIL reason..sometimes turn the gas back on. Somewhere in there is a bare pipe end. You can imagine....

In this case? I don't think it's meth heads. Cargo theft is just a hair above what I give credit to a junkie to pull off. First, no way is some street level meth monster going to pass off as a trucker at a produce shed. It doesn't take anything special...of course. However, like any line of work where you literally LIVE the work, there is a certain look and feel as well as a way people carry themselves who do the work. Truckers are no exception. Then you have weight to get right (and the shipper would know in about 30 seconds if you didn't know what all that meant) as well as the most obvious thing....actually driving the truck. They aren't that easy if driving as if you intend to look like you are supposed to be is the goal.

Besides... What meth monster has connections to move a whole truck load of walnuts? That's professional level to receivers with a warehouse and docks...forklifts to unload it and a way to distribute and sell that much. No one is peddling bags off the tailgate for move 45,000lbs of walnuts. So..I definitely would say organized cargo thieves. Maybe inside...but doesn't have to be. Not a junkie or idiot with opportunity and a bright idea though.

reply to post by calstorm


I kinda figured as much.

Is there that much of a black market for walnuts?

If I was going to risk stealing something like that I think I would shoot for electronics or something that would be easier to sell.

reply to post by Wrabbit2000

Besides... What meth monster has connections to move a whole truck load of walnuts?

Exactly.

Do you know how long it would take to sell that many walnuts at a flea market.

reply to post by Wrabbit2000


You could be right, but I knew at least one that was a trucker. Given that I despise the fact that I am related/know some these people and hate even more that I know ones that really could pull it off, I am getting angry just thinking about it (yeah, personal issue)

I could go into more detail about why I do think a meth user could pull it off, but I would rather not.

Obviously, we don't know the motive or who did it. It's just something I think is possible.

Thats a good $150k .....

I'm thinking these nuts are probably going to a company that isn't particular about where they get their ingredients for what ever. Little Debbie was always suspect to me. But seriously, they are most likely being shipped somewhere. Almost every country now has it's own form of mafia and ways to bypass various shipping laws. I wonder what else is being stolen en mass like this.

reply to post by calstorm

Oh, hey..Fair enough on that. I hadn't known you had personal background behind your position to that extent and that certainly changes things on my end. It's not an academic debate to get rough and tumble with when you have emotion and passion you're coming from. Fair enough on that and I've been on the other end enough times to appreciate the need to stop at the line.

It sounds like we can both agree on one thing....The world will be a better place if and when the scourge you're talking about (and T&C says we do have to drop..lol) is no longer destroying so much.

Originally posted by shadwgirl
reply to post by creatives

 

love it. that just made me lol.

Ya, it cracked me up also.

I am a tellin you guys the squirrels shook hands with the grey aliens for advanced tech to pull of the nut heist......sheeeeeeesh.....you people just don't get it here.....whewwwwwwwwwwwwww!

Responses to this story has so many possibilities...

reply to post by shadwgirl


If it can be sold, somebody will try to steal it.

As far as I recall, and from what I was able to find... the FDA declared "Walnuts" an illegal drug. If you can believe that nonsense. I noticed in my local food stores, they stopped selling walnuts.

FDA Claims Walnuts to be Illegal Drugs

Warning letter from FDA to Diamond Food Inc.

What a world we live in. When the FDA will declare WALNUTS an illegal drug, because they are high in Omega-3... yet they let all this nonsense like anti-depressants and rampant opiate prescriptions run wild.

Welcome to the new America.

reply to post by shadwgirl


Walnuts are expensive I'm sure whoever did it could make a pretty penny off them. I think last time I checked the walnuts were like 5 bucks for a tiny bag.

Real olive oil has a huge black market why not walnuts