Florida cops are searching for two men who stole more than 1,000 gallons of gas this month — part of a growing wave of fuel heists across the country as prices soar.
via: Complex
Fox 35 reports the St. Cloud Police Department responded to a Central Florida gas station on June 1 after 1,093 gallons of diesel fuel was reported stolen from the establishment.
According to police, the two suspects, described as Hispanic males, loaded the gas into a pair of Ford F250 trucks that included large tanks in the truck beds to carry all the fuel.
We are looking for two suspects regarding the theft of approximately 1,093 gallons of gas! Do you know either of our suspects? If so, please contact Det. Mannix at 407-891-6729 or @CrimelineFL. #turnemintuesday #tips #CrimeLine #SCPD pic.twitter.com/7oN6y4bxb4
— St.Cloud Police Dept (@StCloudPD) June 14, 2022
According to Ned Bowman, an executive director at Florida Petroleum Marketers, officials believe that rising gas prices are leading to theft rings in Florida.
“They’re just stealing right out of the tanks,” Bowman told the New York Post. “That’s what we’re dealing with. We break up one ring and another one comes up.”
The news arrives three months after thieves stole more than 1,000 gallons of diesel from a family-owned gas station in Texas.
Meanwhile, back in March, four Florida men were arrested for installing a device on gas pumps that would slash the prices of fuel. The alleged thefts took place at a Circle K in Lutz and a Circle K in Lakeland.
Bowman previously explained to reporters how the devices work. “They go in and they change the pulsator. The pulsator is the device that is inside the gas pump that regulates the flow of the fuel,” he said. “So they’re able to change the price of the fuel down to a nickel or a penny to the gallon and fill the back of their trucks up—their bladders or spare tanks—with fuel that’s basically free.”
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