Two Thieves Allegedly Stole 9,000 Gallons Of Diesel Fuel Which Is Bad Of Course But I Respect The Ingenuity Of How They Did It

If you’ve driven by a gas station in the past month or own a vehicle that takes diesel, you’ve probably noticed that diesel is insanely expensive right now. Since the start of the conflict in Iran, the average price of diesel in the U.S. has surged by over 40%, to over $5 a gallon, according to CNBC. That’s a good deal more than the national average of $4.16 a gallon for regular-grade gasoline, as reported by AAA.

For most people, that means putting your car into fuel-sipping drive mode or driving your big diesel truck a bit less. For others, like these two people who were recently arrested by the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in California, it means allegedly resorting to stealing fuel instead of paying at the pump.

We’re not talking about merely pumping your car full of gas and taking off without paying, either. According to police, these folks stole the equivalent of around $63,000 worth of diesel using a box truck modified to carry hundreds of gallons of fuel and a couple of portable, gas-powered water pumps anyone could source off of eBay.

According to police, the theft occurred from a business on the 46000 block of Dillon Road in Coachella, California. Going by a quick Google Map search, that location coincides with a TA-branded truck stop and a Shell station for passenger cars. The two suspects, identified as 40-year-old Steven Anthony Bailey and 27-year-old Brian Briseno Mena, are accused of stealing roughly 9,000 gallons of diesel fuel. This works out to about $7 a gallon, which coincides with current averages in California, according to AAA data.

What’s interesting about this theft is just how the suspects allegedly pulled off the scheme. Police say the suspects used modified vehicles to extract large amounts of fuel from the station, and included a photo of what looks to be a Hino 268 box truck with an absolutely gigantic aftermarket fuel tank installed behind the standard driver’s side tank:

Here’s a photo of a normal Hino 268, for comparison:

Police say they discovered the box truck after serving warrants in the nearby towns of Apple Valley and Perris during their investigation. The cops also found two mobile, gas-powered water pumps—specifically, a pair of Predator-branded 79-cc pumps you can buy from eBay for under $300 each.

Going by the photo above provided by the cops, the pumps were stashed inside the box truck and attached to some long rubber hoses. The police don’t mention whether they actually found the missing diesel or not, but if I had to guess, the thieves probably used the pumps to move the gas from that massive tank into an undisclosed location, where it could be stored, sold, or used later.

Interestingly, this isn’t the first time the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department has dealt with this sort of fuel theft operation. In its release, the department describes an eerily similar theft involving a modified vehicle stealing from a fuel station in Mecca, CA, which is just down the road from the Thermal Club, a private country club-style race track facility:

On May 16, 2025, deputies from the Thermal Sheriff’s Station responded to a business in the 90000 block of 66th Avenue, Mecca, regarding theft of fuel at a business. Upon arrival, deputies located an abandoned vehicle at the location and determined the suspects had fled the area. During the investigation, deputies learned the suspects had manipulated a diesel fuel pump and utilized modified vehicles to conceal and transport fuel. This incident resulted in the theft of approximately 463 gallons of diesel fuel, valued at about $2,100.00.

This time around, though, the thieves transported far more diesel. Even if there were another tank on the other side of that box truck, they would’ve had to make several trips to steal 9,000 gallons. It’s possible the thieves also had more tanks in the truck’s cargo compartment, but the photos show an empty space, save for those pumps. The Hino 268’s normal fuel capacity is 95 gallons, though with the addition of that extra tank, this one could carry far more. Even so, 9,000 gallons is a lot of fuel. For some perspective, the average semi truck can carry up to 300 gallons of diesel fuel with two tanks.

The cops don’t specify the thieves’ exact methodology, nor do they go into detail about how the pumps were “manipulated” to dispense fuel without any payment being made, likely to deter any copycats from getting any bright ideas. Either way, I’ve reached out to the department for more info, and I’ll update this post if I hear back.

Sheriffs arrested Bailey and Mena on April 7 without incident, charging the former with grand theft, theft of fuel, conspiracy, and organized retail theft, and the latter with a felony warrant for theft of fuel. Whether the fuel will be recovered is unclear. I know diesel is expensive right now, but I don’t think rigging up a truck to steal thousands of gallons is a viable alternative, as this outcome shows.

Top graphic images: Riverside County Sheriff’s Department; DepositPhotos.com