Cooking-Oil Theft: Arlington Police Charge Two with Increasingly Common Crime

Business News/Analysis, Virginia

October 14, 2011

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by Allison Klein (The Washington Post) For months, used cooking oil has been disappearing from containers behind Washington area restaurants. Thieves have been siphoning tens of thousands of gallons a month and reselling it, authorities say.

Arlington County police last week arrested two men at Ballston Common Mall they say were trying just such a scheme.

Cooking-oil theft is on the rise as the evolving biodiesel market has led to an increase in its value, according to Detective Crystal Nosal, an Arlington police spokeswoman.

…“It’s a brand-new crime,” said Steve Blankenship, regional manager of Charlottesville-based Greenlight Biofuels, which buys used oil from restaurants. “And it’s happening on an unbelievable scale.” He said the oil can sell on the street for as much as $4 per gallon. READ MORE

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