Kings County investigators arrest man accused of stealing bees from Texas

The investigation began Jan. 31 with a tip from a concerned citizen who contacted the RCTF and informed them that there may be stolen bee hives located in several Kings County orchards.

The concerned citizen put the RCTF in touch with the owner of the hives from Texas. The owner, in California at the time, met with the RCTF and was taken to various locations within the county and confirmed the colonies were his.

The victim reported the hives stolen in Manvel and Hitchcock, Texas, where an investigation was already underway.

Approximately 238 stolen hives were recovered, valued at roughly $128,500.

During the investigation, the RCTF learned the suspect in this case, Antonio Diaz Catarino, 43, was acting under the guise of running a legitimate bee business. He had contracted with local growers to provide bees for their orchards at a lower rate than the average price (Approx. $40.00 less per hive).

Catarino was taken into custody without incident when he returned to one of his "customer's" equipment yards to pick up equipment he had left behind.

He was booked in to the Kings County Jail for possession of stolen property (PC 496(a)) and grand theft under PC 487g.