Stolen avocados sold on Facebook as black market booms A rash of avocado thefts have been recorded along the East Coast of New Zealand, with the bobbly green fruits […]

A rash of avocado thefts have been recorded along the East Coast of New Zealand, with the bobbly green fruits being hawked on Facebook.

Avocado prices reached a record high in May due to a reduced harvest from California, Mexico and Peru, coupled with booming global demand. The mashed creamy flesh is a brunch staple in many cities, the popular “avocado toast” top of many menus – especially in New Zealand.

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Perhaps as a result, avocado thieves are targeting orchards in New Zealand – and they’ve seen an escalation from the avocado crime wave witnessed last June. Police are warning buyers that any avocados without stalks or long stalks are likely to be stolen.

They added that avocado thieves could be charged with burglary, which has a maximum penalty of ten years. They also warned buyers they could face penalties for purchasing hot avocados.

“We are seeing thefts on a commercial scale. We are seeing thousands of dollars of fruit stolen in a single hit and people’s livelihoods are getting ruined … it is not like just stealing a couple of mandarins off your neighbour’s tree, we take it very seriously,” Sergeant Trevor Brown from Western Bay of Plenty told the Guardian.

New Zealand Avocado chief executive Jen Scoular told Radio New Zealand said the fruits being sold on Facebook was a new development in the avocado black market. She said it may reflect the good work the police have done in spreading awareness about bogus sellers coming with crates of avocados to farmer’s markets or to roadside stalls.

“Thieves are now looking for new ways to sell stolen avocados are what we are hearing with Facebook sales.

“You talk to the growers and avocados take a whole year to grow – what we are seeing budding on the trees now is not going to be fruit until next November. Growers are passionate about avocados – to have people come take them before they are mature on the tree, potentially when they’ve just been sprayed, when they are ready to have a great export crop – it’s just pretty devastating for growers to have them stolen. ”

“You don’t get $1 avocados and if someone comes in with a crate of avocados and says ‘they’re a dollar each’, the store owner can’t assume other than the fact that they’ve come from a source that is not reputable.”