AN ALLEGED diesel
laundering plant has been uncovered by customs
officials in a dawn swoop in east Donegal.
The discovery was made at a petrol service station
by Revenue officers assisted by their colleagues
from the Special Compliance District in Sligo.
During the search, officers discovered a man in the
process of discharging laundered diesel from a lorry
into an underground 20,000 litre storage tank. They
also found a sophisticated electronic switching
system buried under a layer of gravel which which
was designed to allow the diesel pumps to be fed
from the concealed tank or from the regular tanks.
The steel bodied lorry had been specially adapted by
the fitting of a false floor which enabled the
carriage of 4,500 litres of fuel. The lorry was
loaded with bags of peat moss allegedly as
concealment. Both the filling pipes and discharge
pipes were well hidden, the investigators say. The
lorry and approx 6,000 litres of fuel were detained
and removed from the premises. A man has been
questioned and a file will be forwarded to the DPP
in due course.
A Revenue spokesman said: "Laundering or 'washing'
of red or green diesel defrauds the state of excise
duty and VAT. People also need to be aware of the
environmental and safety issues surrounding the
laundering of diesel.
"They need to consider what happens to the waste
by-product and the damage caused by contamination to
arable land and our waters and rivers."
The spokesman continued: "Chemicals used during the
laundering process remain in the oil and can cause
severe damage over a period to vehicle engines and
fuel pumps. We urge members of the public to contact
their nearest Revenue office if they know of any
fuel misuse or suspicious activity in their area." |
