In a recent development near Palm City, Florida, eleven individuals were apprehended and charged with the theft of 6,000 pounds of saw palmetto berries, a valuable crop belonging to a local farmer.
The majority of the arrested individuals were identified as illegal aliens.
According to Breitbart, the Martin County Sheriff's Department was alerted by a vigilant local resident who found the group of men, all dressed in black and carrying buckets filled with berries, suspicious. The group was seen exiting the grove, which sparked the resident's concern. Two of the alleged culprits are American, while the rest hail from Guatemala.
Sheriff John Budensiek, during a press conference, highlighted the significance of saw palmetto farming in the region, stating it is a $150 million industry. He further detailed how his deputies established a surveillance post and documented the migrants repeatedly exiting the grove with buckets brimming with berries. These were then dumped into a nearby U-Haul trailer.
"We knew that this was potentially an organized group of saw palmetto berry pickers from Immokalee, Florida. The van was easy to spot. It was a U-Haul van. We had the tag and we searched for a short period of time and located that van up at a hotel in the city of Stuart," Budensiek elaborated.
The sheriff commended the group's cunning, noting, "These guys are smart. They know what they're doing. They get dropped off early in the morning. They hide in the bushes all day long and they get picked up at dusk for the most part. So they're slick and they know what's on the line if they get arrested."
The sheriff's department intervened during the transfer process, arresting eleven individuals. Budensiek revealed that this issue has been ongoing for several years, with the recent theft amounting to approximately 6,000 pounds of berries.
The saw palmetto berries, coveted by the nutrition and health supplement industry for their medicinal properties, can fetch between $1.35 to $4.00 per pound. Despite ranchers' efforts to secure their properties using drones and game cameras, thefts persist, leading to significant frustration.
Following the arrests, some of the alleged thieves were served with ICE detainers, and a minor was released into the custody of a relative. All suspects were charged with grand theft, with eight receiving ICE detainers. Some may face more severe charges due to their criminal histories.
Budensiek also warned of an increasing trend of violence among such thieves, as they are now more likely to be deported. "Now these encounters, because there's so much on the line for these suspects getting arrested, getting deported, they've turned into violent encounters, they're not going easily anymore," he said. "So other sheriff's offices have been in knocked down, drag out fights and foot chases with individuals like this."
The sheriff also criticized industries that knowingly purchase these stolen crops. "The fact that they're stealing them and then selling them is a black market business. But it's not a black market holistic business. It's a legitimate market that they're using to sell their stolen goods," Budensiek explained.
This case serves as a stark reminder of the challenges faced by local farmers and the need for stricter regulations to protect their livelihoods.
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