DES MOINES, Iowa —

Federal investigators say Iowa is at the center of a nationwide conspiracy involving cooking oil.

A federal grand jury in Des Moines indicted 13 Chinese nationals on charges of racketeering, conspiracy to transport stolen goods, and money laundering.

Investigators say the suspects drove trucks to restaurants across the country and stole used cooking oil from collection tanks. That oil can be refined into biofuels.

Investigators say they transport the oil to warehouses in Iowa and other states, where they sold it and laundered the money.

Of the 13 charged, four lived in Des Moines.

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