Two thieves have been arrested for allegedly stealing diesel fuel worth more than $65K. The pair stole almost 10,000 gallons of the precious gas in two separate heists, including 9,000 gallons from Coachella.
Officers from the Riverside County Sheriff’s office in California announced on Tuesday that Steven Anthony Bailey, 40, and Brian Briseno Mena, 27, were arrested after they were linked to the two gas thefts in May 2025 and March 2026.
It started on May 16, 2025, when the Sheriff’s deputies responded to a call at a business in Mecca. The two suspects tampered with the diesel pump, using modified vehicles to steal approximately 463 gallons of fuel, worth approximately $2,100, before fleeing the scene, leaving a vehicle behind.
Fast forward to March 11, 2026, and the same suspects made off with around 9,000 gallons of diesel fuel worth an estimated $63,000 from a Coachella business. Authorities were quick to note the method used in the theft was consistent with that of the earlier theft.
Two suspects were arrested for allegedly stealing over $65,000 worth of gasoline in a large-scale organized theft operation in Riverside County.
Details: https://t.co/Mw3TZwDxz2 pic.twitter.com/5RFMzLB3Vd
— KTLA (@KTLA) April 8, 2026
As reported by KTLA, after the arrest, Bailey was booked into the Cois M. Byrd Detention Center and charged with grand theft, fuel theft, conspiracy and organized retail theft. Mena was booked on a felony warrant for fuel theft.
“This investigation remains ongoing, and no additional details are available at this time,” the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department said in a statement. The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department carried out the operation with assistance from a number of local, regional and state law enforcement agencies, including specialized enforcement and task force units.
The cost of diesel varied over the two alleged gas thefts and when the first incident was carried out in 2025, the average retail price for No. 2 diesel in California was around $4.76 to $4.84 per gallon. Meanwhile, the second incident in March of 2026 saw diesel prices soaring from approximately $6 per gallon early in the month to almost $8 per gallon. Moreover, with Iran closing the Strait of Hormuz, thefts of this nature are likely to increase.
Due to its value, diesel theft has become a growing problem in California, where authorities often describe it as an “organized crime phenomenon” targeting gas stations and commercial vehicles. The modified truck used by the two thieves, pictured top, has an inventive, modified pump to easily steal the diesel fuel.
Besides using a fancy modified vehicle to steal gas and diesel fuel, thefts can be carried out from a variety of sources. These include stealing directly from a vehicle’s fuel tanks, drilling into industrial pipelines and stealing from filling station pumps. Various methods are used to commit the crime, including traditional siphoning, sophisticated electronic manipulation of fuel pumps, or destructive tank puncturing.
Gasoline thieves are on the rise in Germany
Amid a sharp rise in gasoline and diesel prices due to the war in the Middle East, incidents have become more frequent cases of fuel theft from gas stations, and sometimes directly from filled-up cars, have become more frequent.
In… pic.twitter.com/SZHBES92yb
— UinHurricane (@UinHurricane) April 6, 2026
Of interest to note, the US is not alone with suffering gas thefts, as the crime is also becoming prevalent in Germany and the United Kingdom. In the latter, many incidents see drivers leaving filling stations without paying for the fuel.
