Five people arrested accused of running illegal gas dumping ring

abc13 ^

[chance33_98]

Five people arrested accused of running illegal gas dumping ring

Five men are in jail for allegedly running an illegal gas distribution ring.

By Chris Adams ABC13 Eyewitness News

(12/12/02) — Some area gas stations may have been unknowingly selling bad gas to their customers. East Houston Used Oil sells fuel to local stations. But a three month investigation unveiled the gas may not be top quality grade. In fact, it may just be recycled waste oil.

Five people were arrested on felony charges at Aubrey's Bar on Gulfbank at the North Freeway overnight. In all, five people were arrested charged with felony motor fuel tax fraud. Investigators allege that the company was supposed to collect waste oil and other products for recycling. GATHERED WASTE OIL AND DISTRIBUTED IT AS GASOLINE, THEN DUMPED THE LEFTOVER SLUDGE IN DITCHES.

Instead, authorities say they waited for the lighter gasoline to float to the top of the tanker, then sold it to service stations without paying taxes.

Basically, the group of men are accused of gathering waste oil then distributing it as gasoline, then dumped the leftover sludge in ditches. That's bad for the environment and bad for your car.

"It causes air pollution. It causes problems for your vehicle," said Cindy Humphrey with HPD Environmental Investigations. "Mechanics can tell you more about what that would be, but from what we understand eventually if you keep using this fuel your car will eventually stop running."

More charges are expected for environmental violations. Investigators say this bad gas wasn't just sold to privately owned fuels stores, but to major operations as well.

[MeneMeneTekelUpharsin]

Public hangings would help solve this problem.

[toddst]

Thanks for the post. Interesting but very confusing. I know the waste oil business and there's no recoverable gasoline unless it's been poured into the waste oil tanks. Perhaps more information will come out that will bring the overall picture into better focus.

[NUCKLEHEAD]

I know the waste oil business and there's no recoverable gasoline unless it's been poured into the waste oil tanks.

That threw me too. I know our Texaco loading facility used to have a “slop tank.” Almost anything could end up in the slop tank – gas, diesel, av-gas, kerosene, water… I wonder if they’re talking about something like that.

I don't know what ever happened to the stuff in the slop tank. Evidently they did something with it.

[Fiddlstix]

Bump
For later

[Redbob]

"... from what we understand eventually if you keep using this fuel your car will eventually stop running."

Eventually it will, eventually.

[Oberon]

I don't know what ever happened to the stuff in the slop tank. Evidently they did something with it.

Miscellaneous lighter oils can be blended with diesel fuel or heating oil in relatively small proportions without causing trouble... but you sure wouldn't want any avgas in there.