Authorities in Derry are co-operating with Revenue officials in Donegal in a major crackdown on illegal fuel laundering.
An illegal fuel plant.
Republic North West MEP, Jim Higgins, is confident successful cross-border efforts will eliminate the criminal activity.
Mr Higgins, who is a member of the European Parliament’s Committee on Transport, believes effective cross-border co-operation, strict new supply chain rules and a new fuel marker system will help put those involved out of business.
He said: “Authorities are working together on a cross-border basis in order to effectively wipe out fuel laundering.”
The North West MEP added new rules introduced this year meant all licensed fuel traders were now required to make electronic returns to Custos detailing their monthly fuel transactions.
He said analysis of these monthly returns would enable authorities to “identify suspicious transactions and patterns of distribution.”
“Any suspicious activity will be investigated. Traders guilty of any wrongdoing could lose their licence, face a tax assessment and prosecution.”
He said tougher supply chain controls would make it difficult for “fuel criminals” to source marked fuel for laundering and to get laundered product onto the market.
In the past two years, 97 filling stations throughout the Republic have been closed for breaches of licensing conditions and since the beginning of 2010, over 2.8 million litres of fuel have been seized and 29 oil laundries detected and shut down.
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