Thieves Stealing Restaurant Grease
Grease has become more than just a sputtering and slippery byproduct of cooking food.
It’s actually become such a hot commodity that a band of thieves is stealing it from restaurants in the Borderland area.
“Over the past few months I’ve got video of people breaking into my locations, all my restaurants,” said Sal Lightbourn. He works at Horizon City Recycling and Processing, a plant that recycles used grease that is made up of oil and animal fats.
The company has signed contracts with fast food joins all over the county to buy their used grease from them and pick it up from barrels by the restaurants’ dumpsters. Grease gets refined and is made into livestock feed.
Lightbourn has obtained surveillance video showing crooks pulling into two fast food joints and siphoning off the oil with hoses into their own barrels before taking off. He suspects they’re part of a band of grease bandits.
“It’s part of the same ring of people going around,” said Lightbourn.
One of the surveillance tapes comes from a Burger King in Anthony, Texas. Police there were able to track down one of the men involved.
“We were able to identify a license plate. Based on the license plate we were able to follow up on it and met with a gentleman here in the Upper Valley area,” said Chief Ed Miranda.
Chief Miranda said that man confessed to the theft when confronted by police, but was not arrested or charged.
“We learned that this particular occurrence has been occurring on (El Paso’s) West Side as well. What we want to do is compound all our cases together and submit them all as one to the District Attorney’s office,” he said.
He added that his police department will arrest the person of interest if a warrant is issued by the District Attorney’s office. A spokesperson with the District Attorney’s office said they are reviewing the case submitted by Anthony PD.
Meanwhile, Lightbourn said at least 34 of the restaurants he buys grease from have been hit by thieves.
“It’s a nasty situation, it has to be put under control.” he said, adding that it could make for a public health hazard. “These locations we get to, the oils are just being spilled it’s just being mishandled. It increases rodent activity, insect infestation.”
