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Thursday, June 07, 2012

Used Cooking Oil Being Stolen From Local Restaurants

David Gentile
Not all that long ago, restaurants had to pay to have used cooking oil hauled away. But with a rising demand for biofuel, it's become a valuable commodity. Companies like Valley Proteins pay 45 cents a pound, sending out tanker trucks for periodic pick-ups. But thieves are sending out tanker trucks, too, or barrels in the back of a van, according to a private investigator. He warned Northampton County police chiefs, at their June 6 meeting, that these thefts are occurring here in the Lehigh Valley. While most of the theft is coming from Valley Protein competitors, the Philadelphia Joint Terrorism Task Force is still concerned.

David Gentile, a private investigator and former FBI agent hired by Valley Proteins, provided police chiefs with a list of local restaurants that have empty tanks. Because these thefts occur in the middle of the night, most establishments are unaware of them. But from the Yu Garden to the Olive Garden, the tanks are dry. In fact, that's what Valley Proteins tankers have discovered at 24 Northampton County restaurants, from downtown Bethlehem to Bath.

According to the Joint Terrorism Task Force, used cooking oil has been converted to bio diesel and mixed with fertilizer to create explosives.

In March, Solebury Towsnship police arrested Mohamed Brahmi and Khalil Hamayel for the theft of a large amount of used cooking oil from a Bucks county restaurant. They were transporting the material in a 2003 Ford Econoline. That case is still pending.

An Allentown FBI agent, who attended the meeting, stated this kind of theft has become a "national problem."
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17 comments:

  1. AnonymousJune 7, 2012 at 6:29 AM

    So everything has to involve the feds. I suspect that someone is using or selling or storing it for their diesel engines. With real unemployment over fifteen percent I would not be surprised.

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  2. AnonymousJune 7, 2012 at 6:43 AM

    Bernie
    What do the restaurants do with the old oil?

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousJune 7, 2012 at 8:08 AM

    Have they checked the Genco Olive Oil Company?

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  4. AnonymousJune 7, 2012 at 9:02 AM

    drill baby drill

    ReplyDelete
  5. AnonymousJune 7, 2012 at 9:56 AM

    JOKE!

    ReplyDelete
  6. AnonymousJune 7, 2012 at 10:10 AM

    Wring out Pawlowski and you'll drown in the ethical oil slick. Cheaper than 220 mil.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Bernie O'HareJune 7, 2012 at 10:50 AM

    "What do the restaurants do with the old oil?"

    They store it, usually in a tank outside the restaurant. Could be a 55 gallon drum. Could be something even larger. At one time, they had to pay to have the oil taken away. But now, companies like Valley Proteins pay the restaurants to take the oil away. It's easy to steal, and the theft goes unnoticed until Valley Proteins or some other outfit notices the tanks are always empty.

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  8. AnonymousJune 7, 2012 at 10:53 AM

    This is like the 50's there's a Communist everywhere.

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  9. Bernie O'HareJune 7, 2012 at 11:00 AM

    I'd tend to think that myself, except these are real thefts. I would not jump to the conclusion that someone who steals used cooking oil is a terrorist. But it would be foolish not to recognize the potential for real mischief. Unlike the '50s, this is a group that brought down two major buildings, killed 6,000 people in America and continues to engage in acts of random violence.

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  10. AnonymousJune 7, 2012 at 11:05 AM

    The process to convert to diesel isn't all that simple and not a garage scale project.

    Maybe the attempt to create a fuel based explosive has been tried, but it seems a lot easier to just buy diesel at the pump.

    I really think it's good old theft of the oil to resell.

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  11. Bernie O'HareJune 7, 2012 at 11:07 AM

    That's probably 99.9% of it.

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  12. AnonymousJune 7, 2012 at 2:01 PM

    probably a plot by gracedale union goons

    ReplyDelete
  13. Bernie O'HareJune 7, 2012 at 2:09 PM

    this comment was likely posted by one of them.

    ReplyDelete
  14. AnonymousJune 7, 2012 at 6:09 PM

    This is probably restaurant employees trying to make an extra buck.

    It's no big deal.

    ReplyDelete
  15. AnonymousJune 8, 2012 at 12:38 AM

    What do you think that taco you are eating was boiled in?

    ReplyDelete
  16. AnonymousJune 9, 2012 at 11:42 AM

    The real story should be...Our tax dollars are being stolen!

    ReplyDelete
  17. AnonymousJune 9, 2012 at 9:50 PM

    Grease is the word...

    ReplyDelete

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