Agencies identify organized theft of agricultural machinery

BY CHRISTINE SOUZA

AgAlert

As part of a months-long investigation known as Operation Tractor Pull, law enforcement agencies in California have uncovered an organized theft of agricultural equipment targeting farms in the San Joaquin Valley.

“This is a major theft that is impacting our farmers, our ranchers and our agricultural community,” Tulare County Sheriff Mike Boudreaux said during an Oct. 29 news conference. “All the findings led us to a highly sophisticated effort by thieves who smuggled heavy farm equipment as an organized criminal activity far beyond the Central Valley and across the border into Mexico.”

After conducting extensive surveillance operations in the San Joaquin Valley, authorities said the evidence collected accounted for 24 pieces of stolen equipment valued at more than $2.25 million. Authorities recovered $1.3 million worth of equipment.

The investigation began in March, when detectives from the county’s Ag Crimes Unit learned about a backhoe that had been stolen near Delano. Days later, the stolen vehicle recovery system known as LoJack alerted investigators that the missing excavator was at a truck stop in Tulare, Boudreaux said. Detectives found the stolen equipment loaded into the back of a truck, which he said is not the legal method for transporting large equipment. They also discovered a second excavator and an excavator that had been reported missing in Kings County. The truck drivers told investigators they were transporting stolen farm equipment through the Central Valley into Mexico, Boudreaux added.

A month later, Stanislaus County released information on two other suspects linked to major thefts of farm equipment. The alert widened the investigation and in June he said detectives had determined a sophisticated network of thieves was responsible for the theft of heavy equipment used in agriculture and construction.

As part of the investigation, authorities served six separate search warrants late last month in Los Banos, Hollister, Riverdale and Lindsay. Detectives recovered more stolen equipment and phones, surveillance cameras and $46,000 cash. Drugs and weapons were also found.

Seven suspects were arrested in connection with the operation on suspicion of theft, conspiracy to commit a crime and receiving stolen property, Boudreaux said. Five suspects remain at large, he said, adding that investigations are ongoing.

The multi-agency operation included participation from law enforcement agencies from eight California counties, including district attorney offices, city police departments, California Highway Patrol, California Rural Crimes Prevention Task Force and National Insurance Crime Bureau.

Fresno County Sheriff John Zanoni, who spoke at the press conference, said, “We are working hard and doing our utmost to ensure that we can provide safety to our farmers in our agricultural industry.

“We need to do our job and make sure we can arrest these types of people to make sure they don’t steal from our farmers, making things more expensive and making it almost impossible for our farmers and ranchers and those in the agricultural sector to do that. their job,” Zanoni added.

Tulare County farmer Zack Stuller, who grows citrus, persimmons and other tree crops, said his new $150,000 excavator, which was stolen in May, was not recovered.

After noticing his 2024 Caterpillar 420 backhoe had been taken from his equipment yard near Exeter last spring, he said he alerted investigators from the Tulare County Ag Crimes Unit.

“On Monday morning I went by the garden and thought: where is the new excavator? There wasn’t one,” said Stuller, president of the Tulare County Farm Bureau. “You can see marks where they drove it across the street and loaded it onto a large trailer.”

Farmers are routinely hit by thieves, but Stuller said the theft of the big machines required a high level of sophistication.

“They knew what they were doing,” Stuller said. “They knew how to start the excavator. They had a key to start it and knew the factory default access code and how to remove the tracker, so this wasn’t random.”

Tulare County Sheriff’s Office Ag Crimes Unit Sgt. Joe Armstrong said many thieves know how to disable tracking systems, so it’s important to find ways to keep them hidden. The suspects in the grand theft, he said, made every effort to remove the factory-installed GPS tracking system. Because thieves are familiar with the equipment, Armstrong says he recommends farmers “harden their targets” by beefing up security measures.

It’s not always convenient for farmers to move large equipment out of the field, but he suggests they store equipment in a fenced, enclosed yard and install lighting and security cameras and “get a big, mean dog.” Farmers are also reminded to apply for an Owner Applied Number (OAN) to apply identification marks to equipment and property so that recovered property can be traced and returned. Farmers can learn more by visiting https://crcptf.org/oan-info.

–Courtesy of the California Farm Bureau.