Chef who stole diesel using cloned cards caught growing cannabis plants

By Isabel Hayes

A chef who stole an estimated €25,000 worth of diesel using cloned fuel cards belonging to a trucking logistics company was caught growing cannabis plants when gardaí searched his home.

Vladislovas Jurevicius was growing juvenile cannabis plants with an estimated value of €28,000 when gardaí searched his home at Greenfield Heights, Rathwire, County Westmeath on February 10, 2024, Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard.

Jurevicius (39) was arrested after the managing director of the trucking logistics company staged a surveillance of an Applegreen service station in Ballymount, saw Jurevicius trying to use one of his company’s cloned fuel cards and alerted gardaí.

Jurevicius pleaded guilty to one count of possession of a card with intent to commit theft and five sample counts of stealing diesel at Applegreen service station, Ballymount Avenue, Dublin on dates between August 2023 and February 2024.

He also pleaded guilty to one count of cultivating cannabis plants at his home address on February 10, 2024. He has no previous convictions.

Detective Garda Stephen Neilan told Aoife McNickle, BL, prosecuting, that the diesel thefts came to light in late 2023 when the company in question applied to Revenue for a fuel rebate. Revenue informed the company that one truck in the company had used more fuel than the company had submitted.

An internal investigation found that one of the company’s Applegreen fuel cards had been cloned and used to buy diesel that was not for company vehicles on dates between August and November 2023.

The company cancelled all its fuel cards and issued all employees with fresh cards, but a second card was cloned and more diesel was purchased on dates between January and February 2024.

Det Gda Neilan said a total of 32 transactions were made with the first card and 12 transactions were made with the second card, and the loss to the company was an estimated €25,000.

The company does not know how the fuel cards were cloned and that has caused much concern within the business, the court heard.

An Applegreen service station in Ballymount was identified as being a location where the cloned cards had been used, and the managing director of the trucking logistics company staged his own stake-out of the station from 6am to 3pm on February 9, 2024.

He noticed Jurevicius arrive and attempt to use a fuel card which did not appear to work and he alerted gardaí. Jurevicius was stopped and his van was searched a short time later. The second cloned fuel card was found and his van was found to contain two empty 200 litre fuel barrels.

When his home was searched, the 35 cannabis plants were found. Photographs of other fuel cards were also found on Jurevicius’s phone, including photos of the two fuel cards that had been used in this theft.

A victim impact statement from the affected company was handed into court but not read aloud. The court heard the company is at a significant loss as a result of the theft.

Det Gda Neilan agreed with Darren Lalor, BL, defending Jurevicius, that his client was “essentially a cog” in an operation that was being run by others. Jurevicius had no obvious trappings of wealth, the court heard.

The court heard Jurevicius claimed he was not looking after the cannabis plants and had agreed for his house to be used to cultivate them; however, Det Gda Neilan said he was the sole occupant of the house.

Mr Lalor told the court that Jurevicius was being directed by others in relation to the operation and that he was doing so to pay off debts he had accrued.

He is originally from Lithuania but has been living in Ireland for 19 years. He works as a chef and a reference was handed into court from his employer describing him as a valuable member of staff. He has a wife and two children who live in Lithuania.

Jurevicius had a sum of €5000 in court to give to the injured party as a token of his remorse and, if allowed, was hoping to save more money to give over, the court heard.

Judge Elva Duffy said it was a “matter of huge concern” that it is still unknown how the fuel cards were cloned. She ordered a probation report and adjourned the matter to October 6 to allow Jurevicius to save more money for the injured party.