2 men accused of stealing $5K worth of used cooking oil

Two men face burglary and theft charges after deputies caught them with about $5,000 worth of stolen, used cooking oil, according to the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office.

Rui Gen Lin, 48, and Rong Chen, 41, were both arrested early Thursday morning outside of Woody’s Bar-B-Que off State Road 100 and Interstate 95 in Palm Coast.

Deputies said they were doing a business check at Woody’s around 3 a.m. when they spotted the two men suctioning the spent cooking oil out of a container in a gated area outside the business. The oil was being sucked into large tanks in the back of an unmarked white box truck.

Deputies said that they spotted bolt cutters, a hammer and a crowbar in the rear of the box truck.

Records show the oil container had a notice on the side of it which stated the contents belonged to Dar Pro Ingredients pursuant to an agreement with the restaurant. The notice also stated that the company does not use subcontractors. When asked what company they work for, the men said they worked for “Green Star,” according to deputies.

Investigators said the owner of Woody’s was contacted and he stated there were no scheduled oil pickups.

Records show the men had roughly 7,000 pounds of oil in their truck when deputies showed up. Used cooking oil is used in the production of diesel and jet fuel.

Both men face charges of burglary of an unoccupied structure, possession of burglary tools and petit theft.