Safety warning follows fuel fraud raids

Published Monday, 30 January 2012

Revenue and Customs officials have issued a public safety warning after three separate fuel laundering facilities were discovered in Northern Ireland over the past week.

Revenue and Customs officials have issued a warning after three separate fuel la (© UTV)

In one incident a mobile plant - which consisted of two large fuel tanks hidden inside a trailer, secured only by a rope - was found abandoned by a roadside in Crossmaglen, south Armagh.

It was dismantled by HMRC and PSNI officers last Tuesday.

Meanwhile some 4,000 litres of illicit diesel and over half a tonne of toxic waste, the by-product of the manufacturing process, were found in an industrial unit Fivemiletown, Co Tyrone, on 21 January.

Another suspected laundering facility was discovered in a shed destroyed by fire in Benburb last Wednesday, close to a property.

Graeme Anderson of the HMRC said these recent incidents show the dangers fuel fraud can pose to the general public.

He said: "Buying illicit fuel not only funds organised crime but supports and encourages these dangerous activities within our communities.

"Safety features for handling any type of fuel are there for good reasons.

"Before buying cheap fuel motorists need to consider the real costs of laundered fuel. The only winners are the criminals, profiting at the expense of honest businesses and costing us all, as taxpayers, millions of pounds every year."

Laundered fuel is 'red' or 'green' diesel, which has been filtered through chemicals or acids to remove the government marker.

The chemicals and acids remain in the fuel and damage fuel pumps in diesel cars.

The HMRC say investigations into the three laundering plants are ongoing, and anyone with information is asked to come forward.

Comments

4 Comments

mike in norn ireland wrote (109 days ago):

it simple, people are stupid enough to buy this washed diesel from these bandits and then it wrecks their engines, especially when they are selling it at the same price or just slightly less than the legal stuff. complete stupidity!

Jamesbelfast in Belfast wrote (109 days ago):

If drivers use this fuel in their diesel engines then it not a case of will it cause serious damage it's only a case of when. I appreciate motoring or fuel is not cheap but anyone who doesn't care if your car is written off or leaves you with a bill for £3000 or more for repairs are just plain greedy and criminal. Whilst people moan about the tax, etc, at least the HMRC don't deliberately set out to destroy your engine.

paul@paddy in Belfast wrote (111 days ago):

They exist as their "owners" probably haven't done an honest days work in their life. It's easy money and prevalent around the border area. Not everyone living there is a crook, don't get me wrong, but lots of people were used to scamming during the troubles. Now the troubles are over it's hard to give up their crookedness.

Paddy in Omagh wrote (112 days ago):

The government need to ask themselves why plants like this exist.. In this day and age with people struggling to cope they think it's ok to continually over tax fuel.. How on earth do they expect poorer people to manage.. They are making motoring a luxury for the rich and impossible for the poor.. I don't blame people for using this type of fuel as I think their more innocent than the men in suits robbing us in tax.. Tax is the bigger wrong in my opinion.. If you must tax it at least do it realistically to reflect the current economic struggle that majority of us are facing.. I bet this won't be posted.. A fool is the one believes theirs free speech!