VENTURA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA — Four Los Angeles County men with extensive criminal histories were arrested Tuesday after a weeks-long investigation into a series of diesel fuel thefts targeting commercial trucks across Ventura County — stealing approximately 315 gallons of fuel from trucks in Oxnard, Camarillo, and Thousand Oaks since August, with California diesel currently averaging $8.41 per gallon.
Alfonso Vargas, 52, Alfonso Vargas Jr., 33, Gilbert Flores, 37, and Miguel Cruz, 38, were all booked into the Ventura County Pre-Trial Detention Facility on suspicion of conspiracy to commit theft. Additional charges are pending.
How the Investigation Unfolded
The investigation began September 18 when deputies responded to a reported theft at Tri County Transportation, a commercial truck and semi-trailer storage yard in an unincorporated area of Oxnard. The victim reported approximately 70 gallons of diesel had been siphoned from his semi-truck. Surveillance footage showed a vehicle scouting the property and inspecting parked trucks, followed minutes later by a large white Ford Econoline-style van from which suspects exited and siphoned the fuel.
Investigators initially could not identify the vehicles, but the Sheriff’s Office Flock automated license plate reader system helped link both vehicles to additional thefts throughout the county. Working with the Sheriff’s Office Crime Analysis Unit, detectives identified four more thefts in Camarillo and Thousand Oaks dating back to August, each following a similar pattern — one vehicle serving as a lookout while suspects in the Ford van did the siphoning. In at least one incident, a suspect broke a locking fuel cap to access the tank.
Caught in the Act
On October 13, detectives received information the suspects were again scouting locations in Ventura County, particularly in Thousand Oaks. Detectives from the Sheriff’s Headquarters Station and the West County Special Enforcement Unit conducted surveillance and observed a GMC Sierra acting as a lookout while suspects in the Ford van siphoned diesel from a Freightliner truck parked at a local business. After witnessing the theft, detectives followed both vehicles and conducted simultaneous traffic stops at separate locations, detaining all four suspects.
A search of the van revealed two fuel tanks with a combined capacity of 2,400 gallons along with pumping equipment.
“Truck drivers work long hours transporting the goods our communities rely on, and fuel theft creates additional financial losses, operational disruptions, and costs for those trying to make an honest living,” the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office said.
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