Two suspects were arrested this week after police said they were trying to steal large amounts of used cooking oil from restaurants in Silver Spring, Maryland.
In a news release, Montgomery County police said 24-year-old Michael Cordones-Lopez and 61-year-old Patricio Cardones-Molina were apprehended Tuesday after officers observed them breaking into two locked grease dumpsters belonging to the Fillmore Silver Spring and Amina Thai restaurant.
Used cooking grease, which can go for upward of $2.38 per gallon, is used in the making of biodiesel fuel and other products. It’s often sold by restaurants as an extra source of revenue.
According to police, the suspects were first observed by officers around 2:20 a.m. driving a gray Ford E-350 on Mayor Lane, which is an alley behind several restaurants. Police said the officers saw the suspects getting out of the van, inspecting several grease dumpsters, then driving away.
Officers followed the suspects to the alley behind Fillmore Silver Spring at 8600 Colesville Rd., where suspects exited the vehicle, used a pry bar to break into a locked grease dumpster, and employed a generator-powered siphon to transfer cooking grease into large tanks inside of the van, according to police.
After the suspects finished at the Fillmore, police said they moved up the alley, repeating the process at a grease dumpster behind Amina Thai. They were arrested and taken into custody as they attempted to exit the alley.
Cordones-Lopez and Cardones-Molina have both been charged with fourth-degree burglary and three counts of theft under $100. They were later released on unsecured personal bonds.
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