Countywide : State Cracks Down on Avocado Theft

Routine inspections at Ventura County markets and restaurants have turned up nearly 30,000 pounds of avocados that officials suspect were stolen.

Donella Boreham, who heads the inspection program for the state Department of Food and Agriculture, said inspectors in the three-county area of Ventura, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties issued 392 warnings to dealers of uncertified avocados, nearly 30% of all warnings issued in the state.

By law, anyone who purchases or transports avocados must have a receipt proving where the avocados were purchased. Avocados transported without a receipt are presumed stolen, and inspectors can confiscate the fruit and issue a citation, officials said. But not all of the suspect avocados were seized.

Howard Seelye, a spokesman for the California Avocado Commission in Santa Ana, said the year-old anti-theft program is part of the commission’s effort to crack down on avocado theft rings.

Avocado industry experts say thieves sell stolen avocados to restaurants and wholesale dealers. This week, avocados are fetching about $1.60 a pound, a high price, Seelye said.

With a $55-million avocado crop, Ventura County ranks second in the state in avocado production with about 750 growers. Commission officials estimate that between $1 million and $2.75 million worth of avocados are stolen each year in the county.