Multi-Agency Investigation Dismantles North Texas Fuel Pump Skimming and Diesel Theft Ring; Five Arrested
TYLER, TX – The Texas Financial Crimes Intelligence Center (FCIC), through its North Texas Field Operations Team, led a multi-agency operation that dismantled an organized criminal ring responsible for installing payment card skimmers on high-flow diesel pumps and using stolen card information to fraudulently obtain fuel from truck stops across North Texas.
In late April 2026, the FCIC received a request for assistance from the Garland Police Department in relation to multiple reports of stolen fuel and card numbers. The Texas FCIC began investigating an organized group placing skimming devices on high-flow diesel pumps throughout the North Texas region. The investigation determined that the group installed skimming devices on diesel pumps to steal payment card information and use the stolen data to obtain fuel from truck stops throughout North Texas. Authorities estimated the group stole between 1,500 and 2,500 gallons of diesel per night, five to six nights per week by pumping the fuel into hidden compartments built into the vehicles they were driving. Investigators also determined the group had placed skimming devices on fuel pumps as far away as Smith County, Texas.
On Friday, June 12, 2026, the Texas Financial Crimes Intelligence Center, with the assistance of the Smith County District Attorney’s Office, Garland Police Department, Irving Police Department, Arlington Police Department, the Texas Department of Public Safety Special Operations Group, the Texas Department of Public Safety Anti-Gang Group, Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and the FBI’s Violent Crimes Task Force, executed three simultaneous search warrants at two locations in Irving and one location in Arlington.
Searches recovered a significant quantity of skimming-related equipment, including 10 skimmers and 50 altered payment cards. Investigators also recovered a laptop computer connected to a re-encoding device that was allegedly used to write stolen card numbers onto new cards. Authorities estimate the operation prevented approximately $10 million in additional fraud losses to Texans.
The operation resulted in the arrest of five suspects:
- Jael Diaz Morejon – arrested during the Arlington operation; currently held at the Tarrant County Jail.
- Adriana Castillo Oliveros – arrested during the Arlington operation; currently held at the Tarrant County Jail.
- Noel Pena Rodriguez – arrested during the Irving operation; currently held at the Dallas County Jail.
- Carlos Virgilio Lopez Coba – arrested during the Irving operation; currently held at the Dallas County Jail.
- Betsy Santiesteban Lopez – arrested while arriving from Mexico on a flight on June 15, 2026; currently held at the Dallas County Jail.
Diaz Morejon, Castillo Oliveros, Pena Rodriguez, and Lopez Coba are Cuban nationals. Santiesteban Lopez is a Mexican national. All five suspects are charged with Engaging in Organized Criminal Activity, a First-Degree Felony. The case will be prosecuted by the Smith County District Attorney’s Office in Tyler, Texas. Two additional individuals located at the residences were detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement for administrative matters.
“Friday’s operation reflects the exceptional coordination and commitment of our local, state, and federal partners,” said Captain Jeff Headley, Field Operations, Texas Financial Crimes Intelligence Center. “The Texas Financial Crimes Intelligence Center was created by the Texas Legislature for the purpose of coordinating large-scale investigations such as this, and we are privileged to lead an effort that protects the citizens of Texas.”
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