On Monday, December 3, 2018, the California Department of Justice arrested three trucking company operators (Miguel Bustillos, Anthony Sanchez, and Amaury Avila-Medina) on charges of recycling fraud, conspiracy, and grand theft for their suspected role in a massive recycling fraud ring.
According to California authorities, Bustillos’ Trucking brought beverage containers from Arizona into California to be redeemed as a part of California’s Beverage Container Recycling Program, which only accepts containers from drinks purchased within state lines.
The program pays 5 to 10 cents per eligible bottle which helped Bustillos’ Trucking rake in close to $16.1 million over the course of three years.
The California Department of Justice said that the Bustillos’ Trucking company was created specifically to partake in recycling fraud.
