PENSACOLA, Fla. — Several arrests have now been made in connection to an organized diesel fuel theft scheme spanning multiple counties in Northwest Florida.
The defendants are:
Sergio Machin, 37, of Homestead, Fla. — arrested on Feb. 25 in Walton County. Released same day on $11,000 bond.Elieser Perez, 31, of Miami, Fla. — arrested on Feb. 18 in Santa Rosa County. Released on Feb. 19 on $18,500 bond.Sofiel Ferino, 55, of Miami Gardens, Fla. — arrested on Feb. 24 in Santa Rosa County. Released on Feb. 25 on $15,000 bond.Alain De Jesus Aguila-Martinez, 26 — arrested on Feb. 8 in Escambia County. Released on Feb. 10 on $21,000 bond.Sediel Carrazana, 35, of Hialeah, Fla. — info unknown
They are facing felony charges — one of which is for tampering with a fuel pump.
Agricultural investigators say four of the individuals in a Santa Rosa County case used strong magnets to manipulate fuel pump components. The magnets are a common method used for stealing fuel.
Investigators say the defendants placed the magnet on the fuel pump, overriding a component — in turn, allowing the fuel to flow freely and bypass the payment system.
The individuals were reportedly caught on surveillance footage filling up multiple semi trucks with diesel fuel.
What did they plan to do with it?
Captain Brad Brady with the Office of Agricultural Law Enforcement says sometimes it’s just for personal gain.
“Based off our experience with this, people that are engaging this type of fuel theft, they’re either selling the fuel on the black market or it could be associated with some other somewhat legitimate business,” he said. “So a trucking business, if you have an owner operator, one of his most expensive line item overheads is fuel.”
James Chapman has been a truck driver for 35 years. He says he knows the cost of diesel all too well.
“About $800, I guess, to fill it up,” he said.
Chapman’s truck has two 80 gallon diesel tanks, but some semi trucks have larger tanks that can hold up to 150 gallons of fuel.
Captain Brady says the scheme caused significant financial losses for the fuel stations, including the Love’s Travel Stop in Santa rose County.
“They’re relatively strong magnets. They’re used up to mechanically override a component inside the pump that would allow fuel to flow freely bypassing the point of sale portion of the pump,” he said. “They know right where to stick that magnet that’ll mechanically open a component to allow fuel to pump.”
In another case, officers at the Agricultural Inspection Station in Pensacola were doing a regulatory inspection that led to arrest of another defendant.
“The vehicle matched the description of this truck involved in a multi-county fuel theft operation,” Brady said. “During the inspection, K9 units detected narcotics. The officer discovered a concealed magnet.”
Captain Brady says it wouldn’t surprise him if the fuel theft scheme has crossed state borders.
He says the case is still under investigation.
“We are expecting future arrests. Like I said, we have several open cases and there are multiple defendants out there that are wanted right now for these types of cases that were spanning out in that area in the panhandle of Florida,” Brady said.
The arrests in this fuel scheme come as Florida has recently toughened it’s laws.
A law that took effect in July of 2023 created new criminal penalties for using devices — like those used to manipulate fuel pumps — to steal gas or diesel.