Some very organized thieves have been targeting California nut growers, stealing up to truckloads of product at a time.

Some very organized thieves have been targeting California nut growers, stealing up to truckloads of product at a time.

Among the most recent hits was at an Escalon farm where the bandits made off with over 140 thousand pounds of walnuts, which have an estimated value of 400 thousand dollars.

The robbers reportedly transported three full trailers to a hole they’d made in the orchard’s wooden fence.There they hooked them up to their trucks and made a clean getaway.

Other recent and nearby heists include 50-thousand and 200-thousand dollar hauls.

Authorities have been tight lipped about the specifics of the incidents, but given that the large-scale thefts are on the rise, some believe it’s the work of a sophisticated crime syndicate.

Those who support that theory point out the level of planning and the financial investment in equipment required to pull off stealing and trafficking that kind of physical mass.

The problem also seems to have in the past extended beyond the central California area.

Cargo surrounded by suspicious circumstances has been reported in the lower part of the state as well.