Posted: 01 Jun, 2018
Authorities of the Organismo de Investigación Judicial (OIJ) in Costa Rica, captured a band that was stealing product from a pipeline. Per the report, the ringleader, Jiménez Guzmán, owns a gas station in Heredia and was selling the stolen product from his gas station in Heredia. His team of criminals stole the product from two illegal tapping points located between kilometers 37-40 on the La Garita-Barranca multi-product pipeline own by the State-own Refinadora Costarricense de Petróleo (Recope).
After taking the hydrocarbon, the thieves transported the stolen product to the gas station in cisterna trucks that were not authorized to move hazardous materials. This is a threat to citizens and the environment. The tapping point can leak or event explode, or the truck can spill on the street causing accidents and pollution.
The police operation captured five people in total. Recope estimates that they lost around $ 2 million USD in product theft in May alone. The overall cost is much higher when the pipeline repair cost and spill clean-up costs are considered.