subscribesubscriber servicescontact usabout ussite mapBuy a Classified
Sat, Nov 22 2008 

Published: June 27, 2008 08:06 pm    print this story   email this story   comment on this story  

Area police: Black market gas could be in future

Bluefield Daily Telegraph

By GREG JORDAN TAZEWELL, Va. — Thieves filling up big vehicles with gasoline and driving away without paying are getting more common as prices go up, but they’re getting even bolder as the chance to make money goes up, too.

When certain people want an illegal or regulated item — guns or controlled substances, for instance — they will find a way to obtain it, said Tazewell County Sheriff H.S. Caudill. Basically, they don’t believe that rules and regulations apply to them.

This is the same class of persons who would seek out or supply a black market in gasoline. Caudill predicted that black market gasoline is something the nation could see in the future.

In some parts of the country, there have been instances of thieves using trucks equipped with suction pumps going to convenience stores and pilfering gas from underground storage tanks, Caudill said. He did not know of any instances of this in Tazewell County, but he said thieves could become even more brazen in the future.

“I think you’re going to see tractor-trailers hijacked,” he said.

Across the state line in Mercer County, Sheriff Danny Wills said he had not heard of gasoline thefts from convenience stores other than gas drive offs, but there has been more of those cases. The people doing this tend to fill up larger vehicles such as big pick-up trucks or SUVs.

“We’ve seen increases in the gas drive offs, and we’ve seen more convenience stores making them [customers] pay before they can pump,” Wills said. More stores also use surveillance videos to keep track of incidents.

When a drive off occurs, the word is radioed out by Mercer County 911.

“We catch some of them and some of them get away,” he said. “But people are getting slick.” There are cases where stolen license plates are put on vehicles before they are filled at the pump.

In the past, a gas drive off involving an SUV equalled a $40 loss for a service station. Now that has jumped to about $100, said Sgt. Michael Conroy of the Virginia State Police in Wytheville, Va.

The theft of gasoline and diesel fuel is also becoming a crime of opportunity that happens more frequently, especially from unsecured diesel storage tanks, Conroy said. Farmers and businesses often keep fuel on hand for their tractors and equipment, and thieves who see an unlocked tank will take the chance to steal.

With diesel selling for almost $5 a gallon in both Virginias, thieves are willing to seek it out. Conroy advised farmers and others to make sure their tanks stay locked , and to keep no more fuel than they are willing to lose.

“Definitely, people are siphoning gas,” Conroy said. “Generally, these crimes are crimes of opportunity. You need to secure your tanks as best you can.”

print this story   email this story   comment on this story  

Click to discuss this story with other readers on our forums.



monster
wheels
Premier Guide
Find a business

Walking Fingers
Maps, Menus, Store hours, Coupons, and more...
Premier Guide
Premier Guide
Featured Jobs

TRUCK DRIVERS WITH CDL CLASS A AND NON -CDL
Pepsi Cola Bottling Co., Inc. of Virginia is now accepting applications for a CDL Class A and non CDL Positions
Ap
...>MORE

MERCHANDISER
The Pepsi Bottling Group of Princeton, WV has IMMEDIATE
opening for:

Merchandiser
Part-Time ~ Week
...>MORE

RECEPTIONIST
Tug River Health Association has an opening for a Receptionist. Qualifications: Must have exceptional interpersonal skil...>MORE

WINTERPLACE SKI RESORT


Have Fun...>MORE

NEW & EXCITING OPPORTUNITY @ THE BLUEFIELD DAILY TELEGRAPH!
The
Bluefield Daily Telegraph
will soon be rolling out some new and exciting products that will include our “L
...>MORE

MEDICAL ASSISTANT
Full Time Medical Assistant needed for busy medical practice. This position will require workup of patients on the floo...>MORE

ANALYST
ANALYST
SW Virginia Oil & Gas Company has opening for a Land Analyst. Ability to analyze and interpret legal docum
...>MORE

See all ads

Yard Sales

See all ads

Premium Homes

HOUSE FOR RENT - BLUEFIELD, WV
2 or 3 BR, 1 BA close to 460, hospital & colleges in Bluefield., ref. & stove, bsmt., 1 car garage. $500 per mo. Refer...>MORE

FOR RENT
2 BR, 1.5 bath
Townhouse Style
Apartment $500.00 month + Sec. dep.
Located in Nice section Blfd. Va. C
...>MORE

TAKING APPLICATIONS FOR APARTMENT
Taking applications for smoke free apt. Oakwest Townhouse, across from Food City. 2 BR, W/D and water furnished. $575. m...>MORE

See all ads

Hot Stuff

TRIPLE VAULT GRANDVIEW MEMORY GARDENS
Triple Vault. Grandview Memory Gardens. Worth $12,295. will sell for $7,000. (704)425-4050...>MORE

See all ads


 

Community Newspaper Holdings, Inc.CNHI Classified Advertising NetworkCNHI News Service
Associated Press content © 2008. All rights reserved. AP content may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Our site is powered by Zope and our Internet Yellow Pages site is powered by PremierGuide.
Some parts of our site may require you to download the Flash Player Plugin.
View our Privacy Policy
Advertiser index

 

 

Online store Princeton Times