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Rising fuel prices give thieves ideas. Siphoning in parking lots is becoming more and more frequent. Traffickers also target diesel from agricultural operations.
Fuel fuels desire. Rapid flights are made from the reservoir, in the depots, or on the rest areas. Caution is now the watchword of a transport company. Since the start of the year, at least one truck tank has been siphoned off here each month, something never seen before in 20 years for the manager, Sophie Merlier. “If it is a tank of around 700 liters, at 1.50 euros per liter, we are more than 1,000 euros in damage. (…) It’s the equivalent of renting a dumpster behind a truck.“, she says.
Thieves are sometimes individuals
In Hauts-de-France, more than 250 fuel thefts were recorded by the gendarmes in 2023, or nearly one theft every day. The actions are often nocturnal. In June, on an area of Golden Coastgendarmes surprised thieves with a rather surprising profile: a heavyweight. “They are truck drivers, but they worked for themselves, not for a criminal organization“, assures an agent. To protect themselves, some professionals invest.
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