Suspected Serial Gas Thieves Arrested in Deltona, DeBary

Two men were arrested over the weekend in connection to what law enforcement officials are calling a ‘diesel fuel siphoning ring’. The operation appears to have covered an area that included locations in Volusia, Orange, and Seminole counties. The situation began on Saturday night when the Seminole County Crime Center got in contact with the Volusia County Crime Center in regards to a vehicle suspected in the scheme. Deputies with the Volusia Sheriff’s Office located the vehicle in question, a gold Chrysler minivan, and tracked it to a RaceTrac station in Deltona, where it then parked according to the VSO. After staying at the RaceTrac for some fifteen minutes, with deputies at this point surrounding the area, the minivan then is said to have moved to a nearby Waffle House restaurant. The driver of the minivan, identified as 33-year-old Henry Gonzalez Ortega, allegedly tried to run away from deputies before being taken into custody at the conclusion of a chase on foot. After inspecting the minivan, deputies are said to have discovered a series of strange alterations: an auxiliary fuel tank, with a hole cut out of the floorboard and an altered suspension, with the chassis on wooden two by fours strapped to the axle. The next suspect in the scheme was arrested at a Burger King in DeBary, also with a minivan that contained gas cans and a hose. 35-year-old Jose Garcia Aguila was arrested, with previous charges for related activity in Orange County. He was charged with unlawful conveyance of fuel and accessory after the fact, and booked into the Volusia County Branch Jail on $27,500 bond. As of Monday afternoon, he remains in custody. Ortega, meanwhile, was arrested on charges of unlawful conveyance of fuel, obstructing an officer without violence, and driving an unregistered motor vehicle. He was booked into the county on $26,500 bond, where he also remains as of Monday afternoon. Ortega is a resident of Hialeah, while Aguila is listed as an Orlando resident. Both men are said by the VSO to be Cuban citizens.