Alleged JUTC Fuel Theft Mastermind Freed After Case Collapses in Court

St Catherine, Jamaica: Mastermind behind JUTC fuel theft case freed – A man accused of being the central figure in a reported fuel theft operation involving the Jamaica Urban Transit Company (JUTC) was released on Monday after prosecutors acknowledged they had no evidence connecting him to the alleged criminal activity.

The ruling was handed down in the St Catherine Parish Court by Judge Courtney Maxwell, who dismissed the matter and issued a no-order ruling due to insufficient evidence.

Patrick Malabre, who had been charged with simple larceny, was subsequently freed. Throughout the proceedings, he consistently denied any involvement in the alleged scheme.

The case stemmed from an incident in 2025 when police intercepted a driver along Chesterfield Drive in St Andrew. Investigators reported that approximately 157.6 litres of petrol, valued at about $28,000, had allegedly been siphoned from a JUTC bus.

Following the incident, detectives attached to the former Counter Terrorism and Organised Crime Investigation Branch launched investigations that led to Malabre being identified as the alleged mastermind behind the operation.

Authorities later conducted an operation at Malabre’s premises in St Catherine on April 18, 2025, where he was arrested and formally charged.

However, during Monday’s court proceedings, the prosecution admitted there was no evidence linking Malabre to the offence, resulting in the collapse of the  case.