Illicit fuel depot shut down

TWO suspected diesel laundering plants, said to be capable of producing nearly 120,000 litres of fuel a day, have been raided by police.

Laundered fuel is discounted red or green diesel which has been filtered through chemicals or acids to remove the government marker that shows the fuel is for agricultural or industrial use only.

HMRC officers, accompanied by Merseyside Police, searched three premises on the Wirral and one in Liverpool, where they discovered the plant in Birkenhead on December 4.

More than 9,000 litres of fuel were removed from the site, along with equipment and chemicals. Three men from Merseyside were arrested. A second plant was discovered after HMRC searched premises in Ashford, Kent. Officers removed 12,000 litres of fuel, dismantled the laundering plant and seized chemicals, equipment and separately a fuel tanker.

The operation involved more than 100 HMRC officers, assisted by Merseyside, Lancashire, Essex, Kent, West Midlands and Staffordshire police forces. A further eight premises were searched and another five men were arrested in Essex, Lancashire and the West Midlands.

Sandra Smith, assistant director for criminal investigation at HMRC, said: “It is wrong that honest businesses should be undercut by criminals involved in making or selling laundered fuel. Buying illicit fuel not only funds crime, it supports and encourages these dangerous activities within our communities.

“Every illegal laundering operation typically generates tonnes of toxic waste, involving significant safety and environmental issues. As taxpayers and local ratepayers, not only are we missing out on the stolen tax that ends up the pockets of the criminals, we are also paying the substantial clean-up and disposal costs.”