An undercover investigation claims Sam Allcock and Drew Reardon purchased illegally harvested saw palmetto berries.
Allcock and Reardon claimed their business checked permits, permission slips and other information before buying berries.
Allcock was arrested about an hour after being photographed by TCPalm, records show.
HOBE SOUND — Two industry business owners who recently spoke to TCPalm about the rising trend of illegally picking saw palmetto berries were arrested in August and charged with purchasing illegally harvested berries, according to the Martin County Sheriff’s Office.
Sam Allcock and Drew Reardon — of Hobe Sound and Palm City, respectively — earlier this year co-founded Medicinal Berry Solutions, a saw palmetto berry reselling business. They wanted to cash in on Florida’s eccentric cash crop, which comprises a $150 million supplemental market worldwide, according to the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.
A saw palmetto berry dealer, when buying berries, is required, by state law, to document the picker’s permit, permission slip from the landowner and other identifying information.
However, Allcock, 34, and Reardon, 35, purchased what they believed were illegally harvested berries from an undercover detective on Aug. 19, according to arrest affidavits.