GARLAND, Texas — Police have arrested three suspects accused of stealing thousands of gallons of gasoline from multiple cities across North Texas.
The Garland Police Department said detectives had been working on an extensive investigation where they believe more than 18,000 gallons of fuel was stolen from the Ricky Rockets Fuel station located at 1910 S. Jupiter Rd.
"They were sitting idle, they seemed to have been broke down, that was the issue. Someone was under the truck seeming to do something with the tires," said Jeray Morris, a manager at a nearby business who saw the white box truck for an extended period of time.
Police said the theft used a complicated system that included a box truck with an internal storage system.
"Seeing this truck come to the location multiple times and they're there for an extended amount of time so that piqued some curiosity," said Officer Felicia Jones of Garland Police.
Then, on April 13, Garland detectives located a vehicle believed to be involved in the theft ring traveling from Bowie to Franklin County. The suspected vehicle stopped and was in the process of stealing fuel, when troopers from the Texas Department of Public Safety and Garland detectives interrupted their efforts, arresting three people.
"Multiple trips had to have been made to take that much fuel from one location. There was some kind of system within the truck that was allowing them to pump so much at a time," said Officer Jones.
Garland police identified the arrested suspects as 30-year-old Julio Benitez-Hernandez, 42-year-old Joxan Santos-Legon, and 30-year-old Rafael Vazquez-Unzaga.
All three suspects were transported to Bowie County Jail, facing fuel-related theft charges in Garland, as well as in Bowie and Franklin Counties.
WFAA has reached out to Ricky Rockets Fuel station and we are awaiting comment.
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