Photo: Contributed

A serial gasoline thief who drills and drains gas tanks is apparently operating in Kelowna.

An Upper Mission resident told Castanet that the tank on his full-sized Ford pickup was drilled into sometime Wednesday night and about two-thirds of a tank of gasoline drained.

The victim, who prefers not to be identified, said he discovered the theft when he noticed his truck sputtering and the gas gauge on empty.

When he was re-filling the tank, “it just started pouring out the bottom.” He investigated and found an approximately half-inch hole drilled in the bottom of the plastic gas tank.

He notified RCMP, who said he was the first to report such a theft.

He took his truck to Orchard Ford for repairs.  

Orchard Ford service manager Sean Nelson confirmed Saturday that there were at least two reports, but another member of the department was dealing with the reports and “there could have been more.”

Rod Russell of Sarsons Road in the Lower Mission area contacted Castanet on Saturday to report that he, too, had been the victim of a drill and drain fuel thief.

He lost about 115 litres of fuel in an incident that occurred between Thursday night and Friday morning.He lost about 115 litres of fuel plus the $300 ICBC deductible.

He described the incident as “the downside of no-siphon tanks.” Modern gas tanks are designed so that it is very difficult or impossible to siphon fuel through the filler hole.

A third victim, who lives in southeast Kelowna, reported that he lost 120 litres of gas on October 10.

Kelowna RCMP is investigating.

If you have information or if you have been victimized, contact us at [email protected]