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A Florida man was arrested this week after allegedly stealing hundreds of pounds of avocados from a Miami-area grove, according to police.
Edel Perez, 29, was arrested after deputies said they saw him leaving a fenced avocado grove with bags of avocados estimated to weigh about 400 pounds, according to the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office arrest affidavit.
Perez allegedly told police he was unemployed and was planning to sell the stolen fruit to buy Christmas presents for his two children.
At about 3:10 a.m. on Monday, police said they observed a male dressed in all black clothing picking avocados inside the grove.
The avocado grove is fenced and has a “No Trespassing” sign, according to police.
Deputies found bags of avocados in Perez’s Mercedes-Benz and identical bags in the grove with freshly picked fruit.
Police said they also found loose avocados in the vehicle’s trunk.
Perez allegedly told police he was unemployed and was planning to sell the stolen fruit to buy Christmas presents for his two children. MDCRThe avocados had an estimated value of $800, according to the arrest affidavit.
Perez faces charges of trespassing on an agricultural site and third-degree grand theft.
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