The Railroad Commission of Texas said Commissioner Wayne Christian on Aug. 28 highlighted a multistate investigation into organized petroleum theft that produced six arrests and the seizure of more than $12 million in petroleum products, vehicles, cash and other assets.
The case, which the commission identified as Operation Black Market Basin, led to charges including felony oil theft, money laundering and organized crime, according to the agency’s news release. Investigators alleged the petroleum was acquired and sold across multiple states, including Texas, New Mexico and Oklahoma.
In mid-August, authorities seized about 2,600 barrels of petroleum products valued at more than $220,000, 60 vehicles valued at more than $2.8 million, $786,215 in cash, 34 luxury watches and jewelry items, and eight bank accounts containing more than $8 million, the commission said.
“I applaud the federal and state authorities involved for their outstanding collaboration and success,” Christian said in the release. “This is a victory for Texas’ oil and gas industry and for the hardworking men and women who produce the energy that powers our state and nation. Criminal enterprises that believe they can steal Texas oil, undermine legitimate producers and profit at their expense should think again.”
The agency pointed to survey data to illustrate the scale of the problem. In the Dallas Fed’s third-quarter 2025 Energy Survey, 41 percent of oil and gas exploration and production executives reported that theft had affected their operations in the previous year, the commission said. Industry officials estimate that oil and gas theft costs Texas operators potentially billions of dollars annually, and an FBI-led task force has estimated that Permian Basin operators lose up to $300,000 per month to the theft of tools, pipes and valves, according to the release.
State officials noted that the commission has strengthened coordination with law enforcement through its regulatory and enforcement activities. The State Task Force on Petroleum Theft, known as STOPTheft, was created by the Texas Legislature through Senate Bill 494 during the 89th Legislative Session to study petroleum theft and recommend measures to prevent it. The agency said the task force provides a statewide framework for cooperation among the energy industry and local, state and federal law enforcement agencies, and that the commission also assists investigators when suspected criminal activity falls outside its regulatory authority.
“These God-given natural resources belong in the hands of those who lawfully produce them — not criminals looking to profit from theft,” Christian added. He said the commission “will continue to use every tool within its authority to support federal and state investigations.”