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01/02/2012
Fuel Laundering Plant Discovered
Three fuel laundering plants discovered last week has demonstrated the risks fuel fraud presents to the public.
HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) officers investigated a building destroyed by fire, unsafe fuel tanks transported on roads and half a tonne of dangerous waste indiscriminately dumped. The three laundering plants were discovered in counties Armagh, Fermanagh and Tyrone.
On Wednesday (25 January) HMRC officers attended the scene of a fire at premises in the Benburb area of Co Tyrone. A shed, believed to have contained a laundering plant, located close to a private dwelling was completely destroyed in the fire.
On Tuesday (24 January), HMRC, working with local Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) officers dismantled a mobile laundering plant that had been abandoned on the roadside in the Crossmaglen area of south Armagh. An acid laundering plant, it consisted of two large fuel tanks hidden in a 40” trailer, secured only by a rope.
On Saturday (21 January) HMRC accompanied by officers from the PSNI searched an industrial unit in Fivemiletown. Officers removed over half a tonne of toxic waste, the by-product of the laundering process. Five vehicles, 4,000 litres of laundered fuel and a quantity of bleaching earth were also seized during the operation.
Graeme Anderson, Assistant Director Specialist Investigations, HMRC said: "Before buying cheap fuel motorists need to consider the real costs of laundered fuel. Safety features for handling any type of fuel are there for good reasons.
"Buying illicit fuel not only funds organised crime but supports and encourages these dangerous activities within our communities. The only winners are the criminals, profiting at the expense of honest businesses and costing us all, as taxpayers, millions of pounds every year. I would urge anyone with information to contact our free telephone hotline 0800 59 5000 and let us know of any suspicious activities or fuel misuse in their area."
Investigations into the three laundering plants are ongoing.
(GK)
HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) officers investigated a building destroyed by fire, unsafe fuel tanks transported on roads and half a tonne of dangerous waste indiscriminately dumped. The three laundering plants were discovered in counties Armagh, Fermanagh and Tyrone.
On Wednesday (25 January) HMRC officers attended the scene of a fire at premises in the Benburb area of Co Tyrone. A shed, believed to have contained a laundering plant, located close to a private dwelling was completely destroyed in the fire.
On Tuesday (24 January), HMRC, working with local Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) officers dismantled a mobile laundering plant that had been abandoned on the roadside in the Crossmaglen area of south Armagh. An acid laundering plant, it consisted of two large fuel tanks hidden in a 40” trailer, secured only by a rope.
On Saturday (21 January) HMRC accompanied by officers from the PSNI searched an industrial unit in Fivemiletown. Officers removed over half a tonne of toxic waste, the by-product of the laundering process. Five vehicles, 4,000 litres of laundered fuel and a quantity of bleaching earth were also seized during the operation.
Graeme Anderson, Assistant Director Specialist Investigations, HMRC said: "Before buying cheap fuel motorists need to consider the real costs of laundered fuel. Safety features for handling any type of fuel are there for good reasons.
"Buying illicit fuel not only funds organised crime but supports and encourages these dangerous activities within our communities. The only winners are the criminals, profiting at the expense of honest businesses and costing us all, as taxpayers, millions of pounds every year. I would urge anyone with information to contact our free telephone hotline 0800 59 5000 and let us know of any suspicious activities or fuel misuse in their area."
Investigations into the three laundering plants are ongoing.
(GK)
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