Deputies say two men illegally hauled 500 gallons of diesel fuel

TAMPA -- Deputies pulled over a van on an improper tag this morning and smelled a strong odor of gas.

Inside the 1987 Ford, deputies found two 250-gallon tanks of red dye diesel fuel and a gas-powered pump, said Hillsborough sheriff's spokeswoman Debbie Carter.

It was unclear from the report what the men were doing with the fuel, but deputies arrested the driver and passenger, Raul German-Yanez, 29, and Yasmani Cruz-Hernandez, 20, both of Tampa, on a charge of unlawful conveyance of fuel, jail records show.

Both men were arrested at 3:50 a.m. today, and both remain in the Hillsborough County jail in lieu of $2,000 bail, records show.

- Abbie VanSickle, Times staff writer