GULF SHORES, Ala. (WKRG) — What Kayla Stull saw on her way to dinner Wednesday as she drove along Newberry Road was enough to make her worried, to say the least.
“We see a guy flip a bag over his shoulder, it was a white bag and then another guy into the back of his truck and shut it real quick.”
It was enough to call the police, who spotted the truck and pulled it over.
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“Inside that vehicle they found approximately 18 bags containing saw palmetto berries,” said Carl Wittstruck with Gulf Shores Police.
Four suspects were arrested but charged not with any carrying offense but with possession of marijuana. “They had come here to harvest them and transport them back to the state of Florida where they would be sold,” Wittstruck said.
This is the second carrier robbery in the past week in Gulf Shores. A call about a reckless driver resulted in what looked like a clown car opening up with 30 bags of berries confiscated and more than half a dozen people escaping into the night. “I’ve absolutely never seen anything like this before,” Wittstruck added.
The berry is used in dietary supplements to treat everything from urinary tract symptoms to hair loss. It is illegal to harvest them in Florida without a permit. They can sell for up to $10 per pound.
It is illegal for several reasons, including the impact on wildlife and the speed it takes for the berry to grow.
“I thought they were real drugs in bags.” For Kayla Stull, this vacation has been a real adventure. “Weird! Never heard of illegal berry picking ever.”
Federal authorities have been notified of both cases.
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