A Starr County truck driver now faces a felony charge. Cops say he pumped stolen diesel into a company tanker truck. It happened in the middle of the night.

Heriberto Soberano is charged with theft of a petroleum product. That is a third degree felony. It can mean 2 to 10 years in prison. It can also mean a fine up to $10,000. A Starr County complaint lays out how agents say they caught him.

The case started on March 3, 2026. Texas DPS Agent Javier Riojas got a report. It came from Javier Pantoja. Pantoja co owns Triton Trading LLC. That is a fuel company. Pantoja's report said someone stole about 80,000 gallons of diesel. The fuel was gone from a tank at Delmita Products Terminal. That terminal sits at 1189 FM 2294 in Delmita, Texas.

Agent Riojas dug into the case. Court papers say he has probable cause to believe Soberano is tied to 7,400 gallons of that missing fuel, worth $17,581.66.

On March 19, 2026, Riojas watched video from the terminal. The video was from February 19, 2026. It showed Soberano at the tank site. He was there between 1 a.m. and 2 a.m.

The video showed Soberano driving a truck. It was pulling a tanker trailer. Records show the trailer belongs to South Texas Fuel Haulers LLC. Heriberto Padron Jr. owns that company. Court papers say Soberano worked there at the time.

The complaint says Soberano hooked up hoses. He ran them from the diesel pump to the tanker trailer. First he had to type in a code. He typed his own driver ID. He also typed the Triton Trading Access Code. That code is only for company bosses. Court papers say Soberano had no right to use it.

A paper record backs up the video. It is called a Bill of Lading. The terminal generated it automatically. It shows Soberano checked into Bay 2 at 1:13 a.m. He checked out at 1:33 a.m. In those 20 minutes, records show he pumped 7,400 gallons of diesel.

Agent Riojas checked the price of diesel that day. It was worth $2.3759 a gallon. That is how he got the $17,581.66 figure.

Court papers list five ways Soberano broke the law. Agents say he took fuel from the tank with no OK from the owner. They say he moved it to steal it. They also say he tapped into the tank and hooked a line to the pipe without permission.

A Starr County judge signed off on the case. Judge Valerie Clarke works at Justice of the Peace Precinct 4. She signed a warrant for Soberano's arrest. That happened on April 20, 2026.

Soberano's case covers 7,400 gallons of diesel. That is part of about 80,000 gallons Pantoja says went missing from the Delmita terminal in total. Court papers do not say who agents believe took the rest.

The complaint says Triton Trading LLC has a signed contract with Delmita Products Terminal. That contract says Triton owns the diesel stored there. Pantoja gave agents a copy of that contract as proof.

A criminal complaint is just a charge. It is not proof. Soberano is presumed innocent unless a court finds him guilty. His case now moves through the Starr County court system. It is not yet clear when he will go before a judge.

El Tejano will keep following this case as it moves through the courts.