ECTOR COUNTY, Texas — 30,000 barrels of oil have been stolen in the Permian Basin since October of 2022, according to a representative from ConocoPhillips.
As oilfield theft continues to cost producers millions of dollars, oil is not the only asset being stolen.
As the oilfield stays busy, so does criminal activity around it.
“The oilfield is a 24/7 operation, and there are trucks coming and going through oil leases all day and all night, and at a glance you can’t tell the good guys from the bad guys – for the most part," said Richard Dickson, a lieutenant for the Ector County Sheriff's Office.
That is a challenge in stopping several assets from being stolen.
“We mostly see theft of pipe, theft of oil [and] theft of copper, [those] are the main concerns that we have," Lieutenant Dickson said.
All three are hard to trace, with one standing out as the biggest target.
“Copper is probably the most prevalent form of oilfield theft that we have right now, because it’s unattended out on the oil leases," Lieutenant Dickson said.
This reality is keeping the sheriff’s office busy.
“It’s definitely worse than I’ve ever seen it," Lieutenant Dickson said. "It’s a common occurrence…daily our deputies are going out on some type of oilfield theft – whether it be pipe or copper or oil.”
The thieves themselves are another challenge to combat.
“They’ve got all the tools that we do," Lieutenant Dickson said. "They’ve got tracking devices and video recordings, and the equipment itself – the trucks that it takes to move this stuff.”
They also represent a potential headache for oil companies.
“It’s a liability having these people out on your oil lease anyway…copper thieves get into a hot wire; oil thieves might get into H2S," Lieutenant Dickson said.
As oilfield theft continues, collaboration is necessary.
“We meet once a month with oilfield security specialists and compare notes and intelligence that we’ve developed through investigations, on their side and our side; works very well together," Lieutenant Dickson said.
Lieutenant Dickson mentioned that ECSO has seen many smaller oil companies be the victims of oil theft. He added that oilfield thefts are even happening in broad daylight, so keep gates locked and if anyone sees something strange, be sure to report it.