High-tech thieves siphoning diesel fuel from South Florida gas stations

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Miami Herald

Posted on Sunday, 05.11.14

High-tech thieves siphoning diesel fuel from South Florida gas stations

By Patrick Riley

[e-mail]

A slew of diesel fuel thefts in Miami-Dade County has gas station owners lamenting financial losses and industry professionals concerned about the public’s safety.

“This is common practice down here in South Florida,” said John Peach, vice president of operations for Victory Petroleum. The company owns and operates more than 100 gas stations, primarily in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach, and has had dozens of diesel fuel thefts amounting to more than $10,000 in losses, Peach said.

The fashion in which the thefts unfold is right out of an action movie.

Thieves typically park their car on top of the tank field and then get to underground storage tanks by removing a false floorboard at the bottom of their vehicle, Peach said. The modified cars are often minivans and SUVs that usually have tanks in the back.

“They break the lid open, stick a siphon into the tank and turn on the small motor,” Peach said. “In 10 minutes they steal a couple thousand dollars in gas. It’s extremely frustrating.”




Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/2014/05/11/4111369/high-tech-thieves-siphoning-fuel.html#storylink=cpy

[Lint Head]

1. Then..... prevent people from parking over underground tanks. Or is that just too simple?

[2naSalit]

3. Depends...

on where the "tank fill" access is located. One would be hard-pressed to find two stations that are set up exactly the same. Used to run fuels in LA and all over SoCal and many stations are set up so that the attendants can't really see the fill access sites, at some stations they are right there amongst the public access pumps. If the diesel pumps are in a large area set off from the gas pumps, to accommodate larger vehicles, it might be hard to notice.

In most cases you can't cordon them off as delivery vehicles would have difficulty getting close enough to do their thing and if they are real close to the public access for the pumps, forget it. The only really viable and immediate response would be to place a locking device of some sort on the cover (smaller version of manhole cover), if you can't get that off easily, that's the end of the game. That could be problematic as well but they'll have to figure something out or this will continue.

[muriel_volestrangler]

8. Or park the cars of the station workers over the access points

That way you can move them when needed.

[7962]

11. The ones who have been caught around Atl have been doing it at night; after closing.

Store cameras show them not staying around long; a cop driving by at the right time notices them.

[2naSalit]

2. Wow

That's down-right bold.

[MADem]

4. Place a large metal plate over the place where they put the siphon in.

They may have to wrestle the thing into place, but it beats losing the money. Maybe they can work on modifying the tank cover, and have some sort of locking metal door that goes OVER the access panel, and requires that the door be unlocked, folded open, and then the truck filling the tank can access it.

[Vincardog]

14. or bolt a hinge into the concrete with a door that is at least 2 feet square so the car has to be 2

Feet off the ground

[tofuandbeer]

5. Something like this was going on in California a few years ago, as well.

[Historic NY]

6. Nothing new, in the past they would pull in with a tanker...

cops should look for the real slow moving vehicles.

[PeoViejo]

9. I bet they don't turn corners very fast.

[muriel_volestrangler]

7. Call that high-tech? Seems pretty simple - especially compared to tapping a pipeline:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10885828

Just up the road from me.

[Hoppy]

10. The suggestions in this thread would also make future deliveries difficult.

[TexasProgresive]

12. I don't guess anyone here or Peach has ever siphoned before

You can not siphon from a lower location to a higher one. They lowered tubing to which a pump was attached. Siphoning is passive- pumping is active.

siphon |ˈsīfən| (also syphon)
noun
a pipe or tube used to convey liquid upward from a container and then down to a lower level by gravity, the liquid being made to enter the pipe by atmospheric pressure.

Parking vehicles over the fill tubes will be a problem as the tankers come at all hours to fill the storage tanks. The caps can be locked which would require the tanker drivers to have keys. This is not going to be an easy fix. Retrofitting the pipe with a 1 way valve maybe the solution.

[davidpdx]

13. Where is CSI Miami when you need them?

Damn that's right, it was canceled!

[CANDO]

15. Many ways to combat this

Install security cameras mounted in places appropriate for capturing license plates and make/model of vehicle. Installing some sort of keyed access for delivery driver along with security alarm for any tampering attempt. I deliver food products to small distribution buildings and I have keys to gain entry. This seems like a very simple fix. Keys and camera surveillance.

[warrior1]

16. I think I saw this on a ep of CSI Miami