Palmetto berries have been used in homeopathic remedies for hair loss, prostate health, hormone balance and other ailments. Many people buy Saw Palmetto Berry Extract online or at a health food store. While seeing palmetto berries on a bush is common in the Gulf Shores area, seeing people arrested for poaching them is not.

In an area off Fort Morgan Road a local resident saw four men harvesting palmetto berries and placing the full white bags into a truck. The Gulf Shores Police were called and investigated the incident. Officer Carl Wittstruck stated that they found 18 bags of palmetto berries. The four men were arrested on marijuana charges after a further search.

Remarkably this is the second palmetto berry incident for the Gulf Shores Police in the past two weeks. A prior investigation found 30 pounds of the popular berries in a vehicle.

The raw street value of the berries is $10 per pound. In the State of Florida it is illegal to harvest them without a permit. Saw palmetto berries are usually harvested in late summer to early fall, when they turn from green to blue-black in color. The saw palmetto plant is also known as the cabbage palm or shrub palmetto. Some specimens have been known to live hundreds of years.

If you see people picking the berries you are encouraged to call your local law enforcement.