Three men have been arrested charged with grand theft for allegedly stealing cooking oil from various restaurants, reports Fox News.
Port Orange Police Department successfully tracked down the three individuals on December 16, 2023. The suspects were believed to be specifically focusing on restaurants in the vicinity during the late-night hours.
The suspects, Rui Lin, a 49-year-old resident of St. Johns, Florida; Yunqiu Chen, a 35-year-old resident of St. Augustine, Florida; and Zengyu Liu, a 42-year-old resident of Flushing, New York.
The men carried out their alleged operation using a large box truck equipped with a pump. They would back the truck up to a restaurant, roll out a hose, and extract used cooking oil, reports reveal.
According to law enforcement officials, approximately 330 gallons of cooking oil were stolen. Police suspect these same individuals may be connected to a larger criminal organization responsible for more stolen oil in the area.
All three individuals have been charged with grand theft. Lin was also previously arrested in Flagler County, Florida, last year for a similar incident.
Athens-Clarke County Police Department Lt. Jody Thompson told Fox 5 Atlanta at the time that theft of the oil, sometimes called
“yellow grease,”
is
“not uncommon.”
“It can be refined and sold, and it can be used as fuel,”
he said of the oil’s value.
“There are several different markets for the oil that recyclers can utilize.”
#Clique, what are your thoughts?
