4 arrested in crime ring to steal cooking oil from metro restaurants

CARTERSVILLE, Ga. — After a six-month investigation, Cartersville police have arrested four men connected to a Gwinnett County criminal organization responsible for stealing bulk used cooking oil from several Cartersville restaurants.

Carlos Laguna, Freddy Aguirre, Luis Gaitan-Obando, and Yunier Eliuth Aguirre-Polanco were arrested and charged with theft by taking and possession of tools for the commission of a crime.

Channel 2 Action News has reported on similar incidents throughout the metro area.

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It isn’t just restaurant owners who are hurt by this crime. It’s leading to spills that threaten our water supply and cause crashes.

During a Channel 2 Action News investigation in November, we showed you surveillance video of thieves backing up a white van to steal used cooking oil from Divan restaurant in Midtown Atlanta.

They spilled some of the oil. Video shows it seeping into the street.

“I go to turn, and then suddenly I’m down. Like my bike is sliding across the road. It’s crazy,” said 17-year-old Ashlyn Whitfield.

Her motorcycle hit that patch of cooking oil and she wiped out.

Channel 2 Action News obtained police body camera video of the teenager talking to an officer after crashing on Peachtree Street at 15th Street in July.

[PHOTOS: Cooking oil thefts caught on camera]

Fortunately, Whitfield only scraped her knee.

“I was so flabbergasted to hear that there was some secret underground cooking oil ring,” said Whitfield.

While it sounds odd, thieves can get some big money from used cooking oil.

“A 300-gallon container behind (a) restaurant … might be worth around $1,400,” said Frank Scoggins, head of security for Darling Ingredients. “Primary uses are alternative fuel.”

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It’s also used in livestock feed and pet food. But in the wrong hands, oil can create expensive messes. Scoggins said thieves often spill oil that can get close to sewer drains.

The National Renderers Association estimates that up to $75 million worth of used cooking oil is stolen a year.

Scoggins said both individual thieves and organized theft rings are big in the South currently.

The Cartersville Police Department expressed their gratitude to the Gwinnett County Police Department for their assistance in this investigation.

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