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Five suspects —at least four of them of Cuban nationality— were arrested in northern Texas, accused of operating a organized criminal network that stole thousands of gallons of diesel using card cloning devices installed at fuel pumps, reported the Texas Financial Crimes Intelligence Center (FCIC).
The detainees were identified by the authorities as Jael Díaz Morejón, Adriana Castillo Oliveros, Noel Peña Rodríguez, and Carlos Virgilio López Coba, all Cuban, and Betsy Santiesteban López, a Mexican citizen, according to a statement from the agency published this Tuesday.
The five defendants face charges of participation in organized criminal activity, a first-degree felony.
The investigation found that the group was installing cloning devices (skimmers) on high-flow diesel pumps at truck stop stations throughout northern Texas to steal payment card data and use it to fraudulently obtain fuel.
The operation that dismantled the criminal network was carried out on June 12 by officials from a dozen state and federal agencies and involved the simultaneous search of three properties—two in the city of Irving and one in Arlington—which resulted in five arrests.
Díaz Morejón and Castillo Oliveros were arrested during the operation in the city of Arlington and are currently being held in the Tarrant County jail. On the same day, the police arrested Peña Rodríguez and López Coba in Irving, and both are currently in the Dallas County jail. Meanwhile, the fifth suspect, Santiesteban López, was detained upon arriving from Mexico on a flight this Monday, June 15, and has also been incarcerated in the Dallas jail.
According to official estimates, the gang was stealing between 1,500 and 2,500 gallons of diesel per night, operating five to six nights a week. The fuel was stored in hidden compartments built within the suspects' own vehicles.
During the searches, the agents seized a significant amount of material linked to the alleged crimes, including 10 devices for cloning cards, 50 altered payment cards, and a laptop connected to a reprogramming device that was allegedly used to record the numbers of stolen cards onto new ones.
Authorities estimate that the operation prevented additional fraud losses of approximately 10 million dollars.
The investigation began in late April after the FCIC received a request for assistance from the Garland Police Department regarding multiple reports of fuel theft and card number fraud. The case will be handled by the Smith County District Attorney's Office in Tyler, Texas.
In addition to the five arrested, two more individuals found at the raided homes were detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for immigration-related issues.
Captain Jeff Headley, Chief of Field Operations at the FCIC, emphasized that this operation "reflects the exceptional coordination and commitment" of local, state, and federal agencies, adding: "The Texas Financial Crimes Intelligence Center was established by the Texas Legislature to coordinate large-scale investigations like this one, and we feel privileged to lead an effort that protects the citizens of Texas."
Although the authorities identified Santiesteban López as a Mexican citizen, sources consulted by CiberCuba revealed that all the accused are originally from Holguín, in eastern Cuba.
This case adds to the dismantling of other criminal networks made up of Cubans who were also engaged in fuel theft in Texas. Just last April, three Cubans were arrested in the city of Hewitt for installing skimmers on gas pumps, with estimated prevented losses of up to 19 million dollars. In June 2024, Cuban citizen Duniesky González was sentenced to 50 years in prison for leading a similar operation across nine counties in the southern state.
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