A New York man was arrested after stealing Chick-fil-A’s famous peanut oil several times this year, police said.
The Suffolk Police Department arrested Hector Castrol-Espinal, 23, of Woodside, New York, on Wednesday.
Police allege that Castrol-Espinal was involved in the black market trade of used cooking oil since January 2023.
Police said Castrol-Espinal stole oil from the chicken restaurant and hauled it onto a rented U-Haul and Fluid Truck Share trucks, before reselling the oil.
According to police, siphoned oil is a hot commodity on the black market. The oil can be reprocessed into renewable diesel or biodiesel fuel.
After collecting a series of surveillance pictures, authorities say Castrol-Espinal siphoned oil on January 24, January 31, and February 10, February 18, and March 23 of this year.
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Castrol-Espinal was charged with five counts of Petit Larceny. He was issued a Desk Appearance Ticket and is scheduled to be arraigned at First District Court in Central Islip on a later date.
Police believe more businesses have been targeted.
Suffolk County police urges anyone that thinks they might have been a victim of this crime, to file a police report, by calling 631-852-COPS.
