HUH? Thieves stealing used cooking grease to turn into quick cash

Enterprising crooks are striking oil.

The theft of used cooking grease from city restaurants has risen in recent years thanks to the demand for “yellow grease” — a valuable ingredient in biodiesel, say eatery owners and licensed oil collectors.

They suspect an organized element creating a black market while others are calling it industrial cooking oil espionage.

And now, some business owners are going after the greasy bandits by hiring private investigators and beefing up security.

Nicknamed “vultures” or “gypsies,” grease thieves are often armed with a hose, a vacuum or souped-up vacuum or lawnmower engine and drain dry massive metal drums loaded with the rancid cooking sludge.

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/it_grand_lard_ceny_FS0G41y4IaKTVNBEbF1LxH