BOCA RATON, Fla. (CBS12) — One man is behind bars and being held on an ICE detainer after he was caught stealing saw palmetto berries from protected land in Palm Beach County.
The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office (PBSO) says on August 21, deputies received a tip that there was a possible illegal harvesting of saw palmetto berries within the Yamato Scrub Natural Area, a protected preserve owned and managed by the Palm Beach County Environmental Resources Management (ERM).
Following the tip, deputies conducted surveillance and established a perimeter around the area. That’s when deputies saw a group of men carrying sacks of saw palmetto berries and placing them in a staging area for pickup. At about 2 p.m. deputies saw a U-Haul van arrive along the perimeter of the fence…