Charlotte County deputies caught three members of an alleged statewide diesel fuel theft ring in the act at a gas station in Punta Gorda.

Just before midnight on Monday, Charlotte County deputies were made aware of some vehicles of interest (semi trucks) in multiple diesel fuel thefts entering Charlotte County.

Deputies positioned themselves to intercept the vehicles and found them at a RaceTrac Gas Station on Duncan Road in Punta Gorda. From a strategic position, a deputy was able to record the drivers of the vehicles as they unlocked and manipulated the pumps before dispensing fuel.

The men, identified as Livan Andrade, 30, Cristian Urquiza Valdes, 24, and Noel Lopez Carrasco, 32, were arrested following an investigation that revealed the pumps had been manipulated through the use of

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