Thieves Develop Sophisticated Way To Steal Gas As Prices Soar

Thieves in Las Vegas, Nevada, found a new way to steal gas as energy costs continue to soar, according to a Wednesday report from Fox 5.

According to AAA, the price at the pump is at a national average of $4.99 as of Friday morning, with a prevailing price of $5.62 in Nevada. Meanwhile, GasBuddy observed national average prices above $5 per gallon on Thursday.

“Unfortunately, with the rise in fuel prices, we have an increase in fuel theft,” Lt. Jeff Swanbeck of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department told Fox 5. “Some gas stations have been hit for thousands of gallons and they will continue to go back until the tank is drained. That is thousands of dollars in losses for these gas stations and sometimes it almost gets to the point where it puts them out of business.”

Thieves in Las Vegas have been modifying trucks using intricate internal piping which, in some cases, allows them to steal thousands of gallons — virtually draining gas stations’ tanks. In a secret location, police showed Fox 5 several confiscated pickup trucks and trailers with modified internal piping systems.

“These thieves are very sophisticated,” Swanbeck said. “They will take a truck that looks just like a normal truck, like a freeway service truck, and there is intricate [piping] inside them.” – READ MORE