Police Chief of Sistan and Balouchestan province Brigadier General Mohammad Ghanbari said on Monday that through extensive operations carried out by police forces 7,796,792 liters of smuggled fuel have been seized in the province during the first seventh months of the current Iranian year (Mar.21- Oct. 22), and it shows an increase compared to the corresponding period last year.
3.9 million liters of diesel, 1.1 million liters of oil, 835,000 liters of gasoline, and 1.9 million liters of other types of fuel have been seized during the operations in addition to the dismantling of 104 fuel smuggling bands, he added.
149 fuel depots and 241 tank-trucks have been confiscated, he said.
As reported in early June, Iran has launched a border market to sell diesel fuel to buyers in Pakistan and Afghanistan to counter smuggling of fuel ate border areas.
Fuel, especially diesel, is being moved illegally out of the country through cities bordering Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Turkey, says Alireza Zeighami, deputy oil minister for refining and distribution.
Between 7 million-10 million liters of petrol and diesel are smuggled out every day, according to Iranian state media. Analysts are attributing a 7 percent rise in fuel consumption to an increase in smuggling activity.
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