Diesel fuel theft on Brașov-Simeria railway line: 10 defendants admitted guilt, damage of 95,000 lei
Ten individuals concluded guilty plea agreements in the case of diesel fuel thefts from the Brașov-Simeria railway construction site. The damage exceeds 95,000 lei, of which 80 per cent has been recovered.
Ten defendants admitted to theft of over 12 tonnes of fuel from the Brașov-Simeria railway construction site
The Prosecutor's Office attached to Brașov Court has concluded the case concerning the theft of diesel fuel from the Brașov-Simeria railway construction site, according to Digi24. Ten of the defendants signed guilty plea agreements and will serve suspended sentences ranging from one year and one month to two years and ten months, to which are added one hundred days of community service each.
The offences were committed by an organised group between October 2025 and March 2026, in the area of the localities Ormeniș and Racoș. Eight of the defendants were employed on the construction site, and a further 17 individuals were investigated for supporting the network — either by facilitating the thefts or by purchasing fuel below market price.
During the investigation, prosecutors established that over 12 tonnes of fuel, worth a total of 95,062 lei, had been stolen. The defendants have paid approximately 80 per cent of this damage to date.
The method used by the group was systematic: machinery on the railway corridor — where work aims to achieve a circulation speed of 160 km/h — was left running "at idle" for extended periods, during which fuel consumption was minimal. At the same time, the employees involved recorded those intervals as "work" time in the records of the harmed company. "In practice, the quantity of diesel fuel stolen was determined mathematically and represented the difference between the two types of consumption," prosecutors determined.
The network benefited from inside protection: the head of security, himself a member of the criminal group, used his influence over his subordinates to prevent the reporting of those who were stealing the fuel. Other members of the group ensured physical security during the thefts, including security guards with direct responsibility for preventing such acts.
The guilty plea agreements are to be confirmed by a court judgment.
Source: Digi24