A 26-year-old Central Florida man has been arrested for stealing diesel.
On September 17th at approximately 11:15pm, Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to an alert about a vehicle with a stolen Florida tag near Progress Boulevard and Falkenburg Road, near Tampa.
Deputies made contact with the driver, 26-year-old Jesus Alvarez-Moreno, and a strong diesel odor was detected.
A search of the vehicle revealed it had been modified to steal diesel from underground fuel tanks. Inside was a 300-gallon plastic cube container, two 55-gallon plastic drums, and car batteries. Two of the drums contained fuel.
Alvarez-Moreno is facing charges of Unlawful Conveyance of Fuel, Operating an Unregistered Motor Vehicle, Attaching an Unassigned Tag, and No valid Drivers License.
Alvarez-Moreno was previously arrested on August 23rd for stealing diesel and was out on bond.
“Law-abiding citizens trying to run businesses in our community are affected by these crimes,” said Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister. “This suspect has been caught stealing not once but twice and would have stolen more if not for our deputy’s swift response.”
This is an ongoing investigation, according to local law enforcement.
