Gas thieves in Texas are on the rise, stealing thousands of dollars of liquid gold as fuel prices skyrocket, Texas law enforcement officials tell The Post.
According to law enforcement officials, in the Houston area, gasoline is stolen wherever it can be found – from gas stations to construction sites – and often ends up on the black market.
“It is certainly no coincidence that gas prices are high, and we are seeing this. Whenever goods increase in price, their black market price also increases,” said Capt. Jonathan Zitzmann of Harris County 4th District Constable.
Last week, there were at least two major thefts of gasoline totaling $15,000.
“This is probably the biggest theft from a gas station in recent memory,” Zitzmann said.
Over the past week, $15,000 worth of gasoline has been stolen in two separate robberies. Provided by HOW-11
On Monday, owners of a Chevron gas station near Spring, Texas realized they were running out of hundreds of gallons of gasoline, the station owner told KHOU. Surveillance video shows several heavy-duty pickup trucks stealing 1,754 gallons of diesel fuel worth $8,331.50, the Harris County 4 constable’s office said. The attackers used a fuel bypass device.
In another case, a sunroof in a minibus was used to steal gas from underground gas tanks, according to HOW. Surveillance video shows a dark van parked above the gas caps.
“The way they did it was very mean. They had a sunroof in the car and they put a hose down there,” gas station owner Jerry Thayil told KHOU, adding that the same van stole more than 1,000 gallons of fuel in just a few days.
The stolen gas is often sold on the black market. Provided by HOW-11
According to KHOU, the third gas robbery was thwarted by a law enforcement officer who noticed suspicious activity at a construction site. Three men were caught with $1,800 worth of diesel.