Police arrest man driving ‘bladder truck’ allegedly used for fraudulent gasoline transactions

A 26-year-old Hollywood man was arrested Wednesday after police found him driving a “bladder truck,” or a pick-up truck they said was used to fraudulently purchase gasoline with reencoded credit cards.

Police stopped the man, identified as Mikhail Iskandarov, at Colorado and Campus streets shortly after 7 p.m. for an equipment violation, said Glendale Police spokeswoman Tahnee Lightfoot.

As officers approached the car, they detected a strong odor of gasoline.

When questioned, Iskandarov reportedly could not provide information about who owned the truck.

During a consent search of the truck, officers discovered a large metal tank concealed in the bed of the vehicle, along with a hidden compartment on the passenger side where the air bag would normally be, Lightfoot said.

Officers recognized the truck as a “bladder truck,” or one that contains a hidden tank used to store large amounts of fuel, which is then resold on the black market, she said.

In the hidden compartment, officers found 45 credit cards reencoded using stolen credit card information, Lightfoot said. In his possession, Iskandarov allegedly had a receipt for gas that had been purchased with one of the reencoded cards.

Iskandarov was arrested on suspicion of identity theft. The investigation is ongoing.