Four Los Angeles-area residents were arrested Oct. 13 for allegedly stealing diesel from big rigs across Ventura County.
Deputies with the Ventura County Sheriff's Office responded to the 1300 block of Newbury Road in Thousand Oaks around 8 p.m. as part of an investigation into fuel thefts in the area, said Capt. Mike McConville.
The sheriff's office has seen an uptick in diesel siphoning since the price of the fuel has increased, the sheriff's captain said. The thefts primarily target semitrailers, as each truck can hold hundreds of gallons of fuel.
Detectives spotted a Ford van siphoning fuel from a tractor-trailer in the area and a large SUV nearby acting as lookout, McConville said.
Sheriff's investigators stopped the vehicles around Highway
101 and Westlake Boulevard and arrested the four people inside, the captain said. The van had two 1,200-gallon fuel tanks and siphoning equipment inside.
As of Oct. 14, the average price of diesel in California was $8.41 per gallon, according to AAA. The average in Ventura County was just a few cents less at $8.37.
The cheapest in the area was reportedly $7.89 at Costco in Simi Valley, according to Gas Buddy, a website that tracks fuel prices across the U.S.
Ernesto Centeno Araujo covers breaking news for the Ventura County Star. He can be reached at ecentenoaraujo@vcstar.com, 805-437-0224 or @ecentenoaraujo on Instagram and X.
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: 4 arrested in diesel siphoning scheme across Ventura County
