Vietnam breaks up ring that illegally mixed gasoline for sale
Friday, November 06, 2020, 17:59 GMT+7
Border guards in Vietnam have busted a racket that had unlawfully mixed gasoline for sale since September, only 70 percent of the fuel being real.
Senior Lieutenant Nguyen Hung Son, a chief commander of the border defense force in southern Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province, on Thursday said his team had finished taking down the fuel ring based in Vung Tau City, a touristy destination in the province.
|
|
| This image shows a warehouse storing fake gasoline in Vung Tau City, Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province, Vietnam. Photo: Quang Anh / Tuoi Tre |
Border guards in Ba Ria-Vung Tau raided a warehouse on Phuoc Thang Street, Vung Tau City and found a tanker siphoning liquid from an underground storage area on October 31.
The vehicle had been carrying around 2,000 liters of fuel while the warehouse itself was found to be storing over 70,000 liters of fuel.
The warehouse belongs to Nguyen Van Nhan, 35, director of 89 Gasoline Trading and Transport Company. Nhan failed to present legal documents proving the origin of the fuel during the swoop.
The warehouse was used as a facility for mixing fake fuel, according to border guards' investigation.
Five people were involved in the case, namely Nhan, Le Van Nguyen, director of a Ho Chi Minh City-based gasoline company, Nguyen Minh Chien, a driver hailing from Tra Vinh Province, Nguyen Dinh Ngoc, a resident in Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province, and Do Hong Son, who is from the north-central province of Quang Binh.
|
|
| A pumping system used to mix fake fuel in Vung Tau City, Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province, Vietnam. Photo: Quang Anh / Tuoi Tre |
According to their testimony, Nhan previously used the warehouse as a tanker parking lot for fuel transport.
However, Nhan and Nguyen, a shareholder in 89 Gasoline Trading and Transport Company, had been using the facility to illegally mix fuel since early September.
Nhan’s product was made using 70 percent of real gasoline with 30 percent of toluene and coloring having been sourced from Kim Bien Market in Ho Chi Minh City and Phu My Town in Ba Ria-Vung Tau.
The ring had been manufacturing fake fuel to sell to customers in Binh Duong and Dong Nai Provinces since September, Nhan admitted.
Authorities have booked the case and confiscated the evidence to assist in their further investigation.
Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!
