‘Operation Van Diesel’ targets Florida fuel theft ring, nets nearly a dozen arrests

Diesel fuel theft ring busted

Law enforcement officials say 10 people, including seven who are in the U.S. illegally, have been arrested, and an 11th suspect is wanted in a statewide diesel fuel theft ring totaling roughly $650,000. Kylie Jones reports.

TAMPA, Fla. - Law enforcement officials say 10 people, including seven who are in the U.S. illegally, have been arrested, and an 11th suspect is wanted in a statewide diesel fuel theft ring totaling roughly $650,000.

Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister and Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier gave details on the six-month investigation, dubbed "Operation Van Diesel," at a news conference in Tampa on Thursday.

Gas theft ring spanning across Florida taken down

State and local law enforcement officials spoke in Tampa on Thursday about "Operation Van Diesel," which led to nearly a dozen arrests in a suspected fuel theft ring spanning 13 Florida counties.

The pair were joined by investigators from the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office, Clay County Sheriff’s Office, Jacksonville Sheriff's Office, Pasco Sheriff's Office, Pinellas County Sheriff's Office, and Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

The backstory:

Chronister says the investigation began about six months ago when gas stations in Hillsborough County reported a discrepancy in fuel on hand.

HCSO's Organized Crime Unit took on the case and noticed a trend of diesel fuel thefts, according to Chronister. Several other agencies across the state noticed similar trends.

Diesel theft operation busted

The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office shared video they say shows a large-scale diesel theft operation that has been taken down.

Investigators say the suspects were responsible for 350 diesel fuel thefts at 70 locations in 13 counties across Florida, totaling 185,000 gallons valued at $650,000.

During Thursday's news conference, Chronister said the suspects would pull up in a van, usually a Dodge or Chrysler, and fill makeshift 500-gallon tanks. The suspects would then take the fuel to large tractor storage facilities, where they would sell it for $2 per gallon.

Surveillance cameras from some of the gas stations even captured the alleged thefts on camera. Chronister says the suspects pulled the vans over the metal coverings on the in-ground diesel fuel tanks.

"They would move the piece of metal, whatever they had in the floor, with these makeshift tanks, 500-gallon tanks in these vans, and they would lower their pump into the tank, and within minutes, could steal 500 gallons of diesel fuel," Chronister said.

During the investigation, detectives obtained 103 search warrants and 41 subpoenas, resulting in 11 arrest warrants. Ten of those suspects have been arrested. Eight of them have been extradited back to Hillsborough County, according to Chronister.

Pictured: Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister speaks at a news conference in Tampa on Sept. 4, 2025.

What they're saying:

Chronister spoke Thursday about the impact of the fuel thefts.

"This isn't a victimless crime," Chronister said. "Think about every honest operator who now has to pay more at the pump because of these thefts."

The sheriff also talked about the safety risk associated with having a large makeshift tank loaded with fuel inside a vehicle.

Pictured: Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier speaks at a news conference in Tampa on Sept. 4, 2025.

"These criminals were out driving around on our Florida roadways where our families drive," Chronister said. "A simple traffic crash could have been catastrophic."

Uthmeier then spoke about how most of the suspects in the case illegally crossed the border into the U.S.

"This is revealing how a lot of crime is directly tied to the open border crisis," Uthmeier said.

What's next:

The suspects face a "litany" of felony charges, according to Chronister, with the most egregious being racketeering.