Hillsborough State Attorney vows to prosecute saw palmetto berry thieves: ‘You will be held accountable’

Authorities crack down on saw palmetto berry theft

Hillsborough County is working to stop the theft of saw palmetto berries, a crime that is now a felony under Florida law.

WIMAUMA, Fla. - Hillsborough County State Attorney Suzy Lopez promised Wednesday that her office will prosecute saw palmetto berry thieves under a new state law cracking down on the increasingly popular crime.

In July, it became a third-degree felony in Florida to harvest, or steal, saw palmetto berries without permission. Last month, Hillsborough County deputies announced their first arrests under the new law: Heladio Gonzalez-Hernandez, 39, and Maria Hernandez-Santiago, 42, of Plant City, who are accused of stealing about 800 pounds of saw palmetto berries.

"They're worth a lot of money. Because when people sell them, they can be manufactured," Lopez said, during a news conference from Sumner Cattle Company in Wimauma. "Whether it is that you commit a crime involving a strawberry or a saw berry or anything in between, you will be held accountable in Hillsborough County."

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Investigators said the berries can sell for up to $3.50 a pound. They add that the thieves sometimes sell them to roadside buyers, but the berries generally make their way down to Immokalee and then are shipped to China for processing.

In a previous interview, Ken Gioeli, a natural resources agent for the University of Florida's IFAS Extension, said, "They're used in the medical field and people can buy supplements, and it treats a number of different ailments. One of them is enlarged prostate and prostate issues, so it can help people with medical problems."

Law enforcement in Polk and Manatee counties have also made arrests under the new law.

The crimes can endanger farm animals and the ecosystem, while damaging property and have left farmers fed up.

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"There's so many different factors with different animals that depend on these palmetto berries and when [the trees] can't reproduce themselves, then it starts affecting our ecosystem," said Joe Sumner, who owns Sumner Cattle Company. "It's very, very frustrating on our part, because it makes our job that much harder because, you know, we are good stewards of the land."

Because this crime is now a felony, thieves can face up to five years in prison.

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