Duo collecting used oil statewide accused of targeting Charlotte County restaurants

CHARLOTTE COUNTY, Fla. —

Two people were arrested on Wednesday morning after they were accused of stealing cooking oil from restaurants throughout Charlotte County.

Deputies identified the suspects as Merlin Berrios and Osmin Isidro, who were accused of targeting outdoor grease traps to collect the oil. Investigators say they caught the pair with a tankard truck near a Taco Bell on South McCall Road in Englewood.

"If you go to enough restaurants and you get enough cooking oil, you're going to make a lot of money," Jerry Parone, owner of Little Guys Pizza in Punta Gorda, said. "It's being reprocessed, reclaimed, resold, used for diesel fuel."

The suspects reportedly admitted to stealing grease from Mission BBQ in Port Charlotte and several unnamed restaurants in the area. Deputies said they were scouting other restaurants in Punta Gorda.

"You can't try that in a small town," Max Doyle, co-owner of Celtic Ray in Punta Gorda, said.

Deputies said the suspects were unsuccessful in Punta Gorda, where many restaurants, like Celtic Ray, keep their grease traps indoors for recycling companies to collect.

"You're already kind of paying a third party to come and take it," Austin Stolpe, kitchen manager at Celtic Ray, said. "If someone else was to intercept it, you're just kind of wasting a lot of people's time."

Around the corner, Parone said his restaurant keeps its grease trap outside, making the theft spree particularly concerning.

"Let them stay out of Punta Gorda," Parone said. "It's really a nice town."

Deputies said the suspects posed as a recycling business and targeted other restaurants in Central Florida and along the East Coast.

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