Trio nabbed for stealing hundreds of gallons of used cooking oil from Central Florida restaurants, police say

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(From left to right) Yunqiu Chen, Zengyu Liu, Rui Lin (Photo: Port Orange Police Department)

PORT ORANGE, Fla. - Three men were arrested over the weekend after they were caught allegedly targeting Port Orange restaurants overnight and stealing hundreds of gallons of their cooking oil. Police said this could be part of a larger organization responsible for stealing thousands of dollars worth of oil. 

Rui Lin, 49; Yunqiu Chen, 35; and Zengyu Liu, 42, were all arrested and charged with grand theft after the incident that culminated with an arrest on Saturday, according to arrest affidavits obtained by FOX 35. 

It all started when corporate security for DAR PRO Solutions, a company that specializes in grease management solutions for restaurants, was conducting an investigation in reference to a theft. The employee worked with Port Orange police officers to nab the three suspects, who were tracked to a Target plaza on Dunlawton Avenue after they were followed. 

The night before, the corporate security officer saw two vehicles driving away from a location he was familiar with due to a previous theft case from October 2022. He followed those two vehicles, a black Acura car and a white box truck, which led him to Joy Luck Buffet on Nova Road. 

"He observed the Acura turn off its lights and watch the area while the box truck backed up to the corral area. (The officer) watched as two males from the truck removed the hose from the back of the truck and stole approximately 150 gallons of used cooking oil from a DAR PRO labeled tank," the affidavit said. 

When the vehicles left Joy Luck Buffet, they pulled up to Sushi 99 and Lola's Cantina on Dunlawton Avenue and allegedly repeated the process, the affidavit said. 

The corporate security officer and a Port Orange police officer visited all three locations and took measurements of the oil using a "wet line" system, which revealed that about 330 gallons of used cooking oil were stolen from the three restaurants, the affidavit said. 

"The total value stolen at the current market price of $3.14 per gallon is $1,036.41," the affidavit said. 

(Photo: Port Orange Police Department)

All of the oil containers were marked with a warning sign that said, "This container, and its contents, are private property of Darling Ingredients pursuant to an exclusive contact with the restaurant owner. We will prosecute anyone who tampers with, removes any of the contents from, or damages this container."

Eventually, police conducted a traffic stop near the Target plaza and the three suspects complied. They were detained pending an investigation. 

When police spoke to Lin, he did not wish to answer any questions. 

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Chen and Liu both agreed to speak with police post-Miranda. They both said they were employees of "Green Power" and were told to pick up the oil, according to the affidavit. They said, however, they didn't have any work orders or documentation to back that up. 

"When asked how he knew what oil to retrieve, (Liu) advised his company's logo. Liu stated he was not sure how they obtained the location and could not provide further," the affidavit said. 

All three men have been released from custody in Volusia County after posting $2,500 bond. 

"It is believed they may be part of a much larger organization responsible for thousands of dollars worth of stolen oil throughout the area," the Port Orange Police Department said.