Once again it seems, Florida police have rounded up some enterprizing businessmen. The newest group of thieves include a father-son team as well in what seems to be a growing problem with fuel rustling.
The owner of Quick Fuel Fleet Services told the Orlando police that he had been tracking fuel truck driver Lino Franco, 43, of Kissimmee and found that he had been making unschedualed stops. One stop in particular, on an access road just north of the John Young Parkway was where he had observed Franco unloading hundreds of gallons of fuel.
Officers waited at around 11 pm in a nearby business and watched Franco unload fuel in two pickups that had large tanks installed in their beds. Amado Frias, 46 and Barbaro Batista, 32 were driving the pickups and Amado's son Edrey Frias served as the lookout. The police moved in and arrested the tanker driver and all three men from Orlando after they had finshing siphoning the fuel.
All the men were booked into the Orange County Jail and face charges of third degree grand theft and are being held on $500 bond each. Officials believe that they have been doing this for some time and selling the fuel for their own personal profit. They had managed to siphon off several hundred gallons of fuel that was headed for the Coca-Cola Bottling Plant.
Franco stated that he didn't believe he committed any crime because he hadn't sold the gas and he hadn't received any money for it either. Batista stated that he may have done wrong because people don't usually give away something of value like fuel.
It seems that with the rising costs of fuel in the past months, theives are going where the profit can be made........ the fuel trucks and storage tanks. They are also showing a bit more creativity in their thefts as well.
For related posts, go here and here.
"We're not sure how long it's been going on for , but I'm sure there are that there are other times that they have done this," stated Orlando Police officer Rob Everett.
The owner of Quick Fuel Fleet Services told the Orlando police that he had been tracking fuel truck driver Lino Franco, 43, of Kissimmee and found that he had been making unschedualed stops. One stop in particular, on an access road just north of the John Young Parkway was where he had observed Franco unloading hundreds of gallons of fuel.
Officers waited at around 11 pm in a nearby business and watched Franco unload fuel in two pickups that had large tanks installed in their beds. Amado Frias, 46 and Barbaro Batista, 32 were driving the pickups and Amado's son Edrey Frias served as the lookout. The police moved in and arrested the tanker driver and all three men from Orlando after they had finshing siphoning the fuel.
All the men were booked into the Orange County Jail and face charges of third degree grand theft and are being held on $500 bond each. Officials believe that they have been doing this for some time and selling the fuel for their own personal profit. They had managed to siphon off several hundred gallons of fuel that was headed for the Coca-Cola Bottling Plant.
Franco stated that he didn't believe he committed any crime because he hadn't sold the gas and he hadn't received any money for it either. Batista stated that he may have done wrong because people don't usually give away something of value like fuel.
It seems that with the rising costs of fuel in the past months, theives are going where the profit can be made........ the fuel trucks and storage tanks. They are also showing a bit more creativity in their thefts as well.
For related posts, go here and here.
1 comment:
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The big companies like Coca Cola should approach these people (Shepherds Gate - A company from South Africa, with innovation) for solutions in preventing any type of fuel/liquid/Precious liquids theft…if companies the size of Coca Cola etc are being attacked by thieves of sum thing as expensive and as valuable as diesel, one can only imagine the theft occurring at all the depots owned by these companies across the world, companies should just follow the Mining industry trend and just fit products like these which cost an average of about $130 a unit (including shipment) as a standard mandatory system to their vehicles and any other tanks that there may be suspicion of theft.
Big Companies in the world contact Shepherds Gate for help!
So if you serious about your fuel take my advice!!!
Regards
The Unhappy Truckowner
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