Suspected fuel laundering plant gutted by fire
REVENUE and Customs (HMRC) officials have attended the scene of a fire in the Benburb area which completely destroyed a shed which is believed to have contained a suspected fuel laundering plant.
The incident took place on Wednesday, January 25, close to a private dwelling, it is understood.
The suspected fuel laundering operation was one of three such plants discovered in one week by officers from HMRC.
The operation, which covered locations in Tyrone and Armagh, saw officers uncover unsafe fuel tanks transported on roads and half a tonne of dangerous waste indiscriminately dumped.
In Fivemiletown, meanwhile, Customs officials, accompanied by officers from the PSNI, searched an industrial unit and removed toxic waste, which they said was the by-product of the laundering process.
Five vehicles, 4,000 litres of laundered fuel and a quantity of bleaching earth, were also seized during the operation.
Commenting, Graeme Anderson, Assistant Director of Specialist Investigations with HMRC, said: “Before buying cheap fuel motorists need to consider the real costs of laundered fuel. Safety features for handling any type of fuel are there for good reasons.
“Buying illicit fuel not only funds organised crime but supports and encourages these dangerous activities within our communities.
“The only winners are the criminals, profiting at the expense of honest businesses and costing us all, as taxpayers, millions of pounds every year. I would urge anyone with information to contact our free telephone hotline 0800 59 5000 and let us know of any suspicious activities or fuel misuse in their area.”
Investigations into the three suspected laundering plants are ongoing.
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Weather for Dungannon
Thursday 24 May 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: 13 C to 23 C
Wind Speed: 7 mph
Wind direction: South east
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 10 C to 22 C
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