3 men accused of stealing 10K gallons of fuel in Las Vegas

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Three men have been arrested for allegedly stealing more than 10,000 gallons of fuel from Las Vegas gas stations, according to authorities.

The Las Vegas Review-Journal reports that according to court records, Raidel Amador Blanco, Luis Gomez Medero and Javier Ramos Gomez each are facing charges of theft and conspiracy.

Las Vegas Metro Police said the three men allegedly altered their trucks and the sensors at a gas pump to steal about 9,900 gallons of diesel fuel from a Chevron station on April 7.

An employee called police to report that the station was short about 1,500 gallons of fuel in the past 24 hours and also found security footage that showed two trucks parked at the pump for hours.

Authorities said the losses totaled more than $8,000.

Detectives discovered the fuel pump sensors had been tampered with and two trucks were pulled over near the gas station.

Police said detectives observed sophisticated pipes, electric pumps, hoses and nozzles throughout the storage bins of both trucks along with a strong odor of diesel fuel.

The three suspects are scheduled to appear in court for a preliminary hearing July 28.

It was unclear Sunday if any of the men have lawyers yet who can speak on their behalf.