A fuel theft on Portugal’s A1 motorway has led to the arrest of two men, after police recovered 400 litres of fuel taken from a vehicle at a motorway service area near Leiria. The National Republican Guard (GNR) said the case began after a report on Wednesday about fuel being stolen at the service area on the A1 in the Cardosos area, on the north-south direction, in Leiria. Investigators located and intercepted the suspects while they were still on the A1 near Torres Novas. Police found the men in possession of the stolen fuel. The GNR said the suspects used a pump to extract fuel directly from the victim’s vehicle’s tank, then connected the pump to their own vehicle to siphon the fuel away. As a result of the operation, police recovered 400 litres of fuel. A heavy goods vehicle used during the theft was seized, along with the pump used to extract the fuel. Both suspects, aged 24 and 46, were taken before the Judicial Court in Leiria. Each was sentenced to a fine of 1,200 euros. The latest status of the case is that the court has imposed the fines, following the arrest and recovery during the GNR operation on the A1.