The Shocking Case of Diesel Dumping in Maryland
Some crimes are so blatant they take you by surprise. Take this recent case in Maryland where a truck driver ended up in hot water for illegally dumping more than 5,000 gallons of diesel fuel all over town. Yep, you heard that right. He pled guilty after being caught red-handed on surveillance and dashcam footage, and now he’s facing an eye-watering 60 days in Anne Arundel County Detention Center, along with five years of probation.
The Dirty Deal
The office of Maryland Attorney General Anthony G. Brown issued a statement saying the driver dumped the diesel just to get a quick payout for another load pickup. It’s a common practice in the industry to get paid for filling up tankers rather than for number of deliveries. This greedy move led him to discharge the fuel far too quickly. To put it in perspective, he received a hefty 7,500 gallons of diesel on October 3, 2023. By 3:43 a.m. the very next day, he was loading up another 8,200 gallons of gasoline. The gap in between? That’s what landed him in this mess.
First Stop—and It’s All Downhill from There
The driver made his first stop at a Quarles station in Elkridge, Maryland, early on October 4, delivering a legitimate 2,159 gallons of diesel. According to the attorney general’s office, that was the only part of his load he dumped legally. The remaining 5,342 gallons ended up on the shoulder of Route 10 and the 500 block of Digiulian Boulevard in Glen Burnie, Maryland. He made three separate stops after the Quarles delivery, attempting to go unnoticed. Spoiler alert: it didn’t work.
And here’s the kicker—the whole thing was caught on camera. At 3:01 a.m., a surveillance camera caught him on Digiulian Boulevard, where the fuel was gushing down the road. The footage shows him driving right through it, leaving unmistakable tire tracks. A later inspection determined the diesel flowed 250 yards down to a cul-de-sac, sneaked into a storm drain, and ultimately made its way underneath the Quarles station and into a local sediment pond. He dumped around 1,000 gallons during that stop alone. Yikes!
The Environmental Fallout
But that’s just the tip of the sodden iceberg. About 4,300 gallons were released along Route 10, a route that services nearby businesses with public water. Soil samples collected from Digiulian Boulevard and Route 10 emerged showing concerning levels of pollutants, like petroleum-based hydrocarbons and diesel range organics. Talk about toxic!
Legal Repercussions
“Illegally dumping thousands of gallons of diesel fuel is an irresponsible act that jeopardizes public health,” said Attorney General Brown. He didn’t hold back, stating that toxins from this fuel can wreak havoc on our waterways, contaminate soil, and put lives at risk. The man’s initial sentence was a full year behind bars, but he ended up with just 60 days, a pretty cushy deal if you ask me. On top of that, he has to cough up $10,000 to the Maryland Oil Disaster Containment, Clean Up, and Contingency Fund.
Still, in the grand scheme of environmental crime enforcement, he might’ve skated away with a slap on the wrist.
Got a tip or burning question for the author? Reach out directly.