Two Arrested in Fuel Theft Case

Port of Seattle Police and the Washington State Patrol today arrested two men suspected of stealing more than a million gallons of gasoline over a period of 20 months.

The thefts took place from December 2002 to August 2004 at the Kinder-Morgan fuel tank farm at the Port of Seattle's Terminal 18 on Harbor Island.

Port police began investigating the thefts in September 2004 after officials at Kinder Morgan saw evidence of possible theft in their electronic security and distribution records.

The suspects are employees of General Transport, a Grandview, Washington-based fuel distributor. The thefts occurred primarily on weekends. The suspects are believed to have used an access card and code punched into a keypad that allowed them to pump fuel into tanker trucks and drive away.

In addition to the theft charges, the suspects may face charges of fuel tax evasion. The Washington State Patrol estimates the unpaid fuel taxes at more than $250,000.

The investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information about the case can call the Washington State Patrol Fuel Tax Evasion Task Force at 1-800-497-FUEL.