Four arrested after record seizure at illegal fuel station
A huge haul of illegal diesel was seized and four people arrested at an illicit oil station in the biggest swoop of its kind in the SAR.
The haul in Tuen Mun included 10,000 litres of untreated oil and 15,000 litres of marked oil, which is used in industry. Customs officers arrested four men and confiscated eight oil trucks.
The 1,500-square foot station at Fook Hang Tsuen, Lam Tei operated as a filling station and treating plant. It manufactured 20,000 litres of untreated oil daily and could supply 300 vehicles a day. Ten men were employed in the 24-hour station, where a hidden camera on the main gate enabled guards to keep watch.
The gates would close as soon as a vehicle came in.
It was too early to say if the station was linked to any crime organisations, said Customs and Excise Department acting assistant superintendent Chong Wai-ming. The swoop marked the end of a five-day anti-illegal oil operation involving 70 officers.
Three oil plants and 39 filling stations have been smashed and 12 men arrested.
Officers confiscated 2,840 litres of petrol, 138,000 litres of diesel and nine trucks worth a total of $2 million.
Illegal diesel contains 10 times the permitted sulphur level, which damages the environment.
The maximum penalty for an illicit oil offence is a $120,000 fine and two years' jail.
