Haute-Garonne: three Georgians siphon the tanks of trucks near Toulouse
Three men were caught with 14 cans of 20 liters of gasoline. They stole this gasoline from the tanks of two trucks stored in the parking lot of the company Transport Vallée du Girou, in Merville.
It’s midnight. Two men get out of a car, while the third waits behind the wheel. They cut the fence of the company “Transport Vallée du Girou” installed in Merville, a town located northwest of Toulouse, and enter the parking lot. The two intruders then throw themselves on a first truck to open the tank. Then they draw all the gasoline it contains and repeat the operation on another truck.
These three individuals could have continued to siphon fuel without the intervention of soldiers from the Night Surveillance and Intervention Group (GNSI) of the Toulouse Mirail company. But they were finally apprehended a few minutes later by the gendarmes. In their cars, these men from Georgia carried 14 cans of 20 liters of gasoline. That is more than 200 liters.
A bad habit that is spreading. In recent weeks, with the rise in fuel prices, many companies have also been targeted in the department.
However, surveillance systems have been installed.
“This is not the first time that we have been victims of these thefts. Fortunately, we have taken the lead in installing several surveillance systems. This is how we identified them. But all these investments cost”, explains Christophe Castamagna, manager of the company Transport Vallée du Girou.
Two of his trucks were completely emptied. “We pay for gasoline, these intrusions tell us criminal,” he says.
During the police custody in front of the investigators of the community of brigades of Grenade, the three men denied being the authors of these misdeeds. However, CCTV proves otherwise. This Tuesday at the end of the afternoon, they were referred to the Toulouse prosecutor’s office and should be quickly tried by the court.