OXNARD : 2 Arrested in Theft of $225 in Avocados

Ventura County sheriff’s deputies arrested two Oxnard men on suspicion of stealing 130 pounds of avocados worth about $225, authorities said.

Luis Juan Cortez, 21, and Alfonso Sepulveda, 22, were arrested after an anonymous phone caller told the Sheriff’s Department that avocados were being stolen from Mulhardt Ranch at 825 Colonia Road, just outside Oxnard, Detective John Mimms said.

When officers arrived at the ranch, Cortez and Sepulveda began running, authorities said. They were arrested in Oxnard at 460 Gibraltar St.

The avocados are being held for evidence in a Santa Paula warehouse by Calavo Growers of California, an association of avocado packers and growers, Mimms said.