06-02-2025
Law enforcement keeping an eye on oilfield thefts in 2025
ECTOR COUNTY, Texas (KMID/KPEJ) – Oil and gas is a billion-dollar industry that has grown locally and across the globe over the decades, but recently oilfield thieves have had their eyes on profit for themselves.
ABC Big 2 spoke with Ector County Sheriff, Mike Griffis about how oil field thefts are a threat to the industry – spotlighting room for concern.
'Right here in Odessa, Texas/West Texas is the oilfield. People make great, great money' said Sheriff Griffis. 'You know a 20-year-old kid making $100,000 dollars a year, easy. It's a very big presence in our area, it always has been, and I suspect it's going to get even bigger,' Griffis in the shadow of one of the largest industries, crime has taken center stage with law enforcement.
'We deal with a lot of oil field theft,' said Sheriff Griffis.
And the pay day for these thieves can be large but hurt local operators in the said millions in oil field equipment was stolen last year.
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'We seized over a million dollars of oilfield equipment, skid-steers, backhoes, tractor-trailers from an individual – a million dollars' worth of stuff from a Cuban national,' explained Griffis.
That's why late last year, Congressman Tony Gonzales brought forward the 'Protect the Permian act.' This legislation would help aid law enforcement tackle the issue and give stiffer penalties on these crimes.
'If you got a federal grant that said, 'This one agent, this one deputy, their sole job is to help combat oil theft', well, now, all of a sudden, you've put the resources towards it. The 'Protect Permian Act' was issued in September of 2024 and still awaiting approval in the 2025 legislation session.
Sheriff Griffis and the Ector County Sheriff's office are doing their part with the Permian Basin Oilfield Task Force to mitigate these types of crimes.
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