Newport Police said it arrested two men after they were caught trying to steal grease from Newport restaurants.
Officials said the men are involved in a grease business out of South Carolina. According to Newport Police, the two suspects came to East Tennessee to find oil they could take and sell.
Officers said they saw the two men circling a couple restaurants for grease pits early this morning.
Detectives said they were able to arrest the men after they attempted to flee in one of the trucks they were using to draw up grease. Police said they found about 2,000 gallons of grease inside the truck.
10News talked with a company Griffin Industries which pays several local restaurants to take their grease. A spokesperson from the company estimated a tank of grease, which is about 300 gallons, can be worth around $800 to $1,000.
Grease can be used to make a couple different products, including biodiesel fuel and animal feed.
Newport police said one of the two suspects was recently arrested in Knox County for stealing grease. He was just released from jail on Friday night. Both men face theft and trespassing charges.