Police make arrest in EUR 0.25 mln oil and gas theft ring in Romania

A group of 22 people were arrested for their alleged involvement in oil and gas theft from refineries and from the Otopeni and Baneasa airports in Bucharest, following house and office searches in Bucharest and in Dâmboviţa, Prahova, Ilfov, Buzău, Constanţa, Giurgiu and Ialomiţa. Four policemen, a gendarme and a fire fighter are among the people who are being investigated without being under arrest. The Police organized hearings for 241 suspects in the oil theft case, which cause losses of around EUR 250,000. Authorities discovered and confiscated from the homes they searches 65,000 liters of oil, 19 cars, cash – the equivalent in RON of EUR 140,000, USD 25,900, 3,600 Swedish Krona, as well as documents and receipts for warehousing the oil. Over 1,000 Policemen from the seven counties and Bucharest were involved in the operation. The authorities did not disclose from which refineries the suspects had stolen the oil. editor@romania-insider.com