PUNTA GORDA, Fla. (WFLA)— Three people were arrested after deputies caught them stealing diesel fuel at a gas station in Punta Gorda.
Deputies caught the members of a statewide diesel fuel theft ring in the act just before midnight on Monday, the Charlotte County Sheriff's Office said.
Deputies were made aware of semi trucks in multiple diesel fuel thefts entering Charlotte County.
According to the CCSO, deputies positioned themselves to intercept the semi-trucks. They located them at a RaceTrac gas station in Punta Gorda, where they recorded the drivers of the vehicles as they unlocked and manipulated the pumps before dispensing fuel.
Livan Andrade, 30, Cristian Urquiza Valdes, 24, and Noel Lopez Carrasco, 32, were all placed under arrest, and an investigation showed the pumps were ma