Fresno hit with major peach heist — as suspect’s mug shots revealed

California’s former meth capital is now dealing with a sweeter crime wave.

Francisco Lopez, 54, of Reedley, and Josue Vargas, 46, of Orange Cove, were busted by Fresno County sheriff’s detectives assigned to the Agricultural Crimes Task Force, officials said.

The Central Valley men wen were arrested for allegedly swiping about 2,000 pounds of peaches from a farm — with officials revealing their mug shots after the major heist.

The pair were arrested on suspicion of felony grand theft of farm crops after detectives tracked down a suspect vehicle tied to a string of stone fruit thefts in Fresno and Tulare counties, according to the sheriff’s office.

The investigation caught a break Monday night, when a deputy stopped a matching pickup pulling a trailer near Dinuba, at Kamm Avenue and Road 56.

Inside the trailer were crates loaded with roughly 2,000 pounds of Pink Moon Peaches — worth about $8,500.

Detectives determined the peaches had been stolen Sunday from a farm in Tulare County.

Lopez had bail set at $10,000, as Vargas had total bail set at $50,000 because of additional DUI-related warrants, officials said.

A third person in the truck, 56-year-old Jesus Chacon of Reedley, was also arrested on outstanding warrants related to drug possession and battery, according to the sheriff’s office.

The Tulare County Sheriff’s Office is expected to pursue additional criminal charges against Lopez and Vargas because the alleged theft happened in its jurisdiction.

Fresno, once spotlighted in the 2009 documentary “The City Addicted to Crystal Meth,” has become a favorite punchline in recent years as the Central Valley city keeps popping up positively in national rankings.

But this time, the city’s infamous past collided with one of the region’s most important industries: agriculture.

The Fresno County Sheriff’s Office urged growers to protect themselves by installing cameras near entrances, loading areas and packing facilities, using trail cameras in remote orchards, keeping entrances well lit and avoiding leaving harvested bins in fields overnight.

Officials also recommended trimming vegetation around gates and roads to eliminate hiding spots, securing loaded trailers in yards whenever possible and marking bins with permanent farm identifiers.

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