After a series of intensive surveillance for several days, Customs officers of the Diesel Oil Enforcement Division today (June 24) smashed an illicit detreating plant on Hang Tau Road in Kwu Tung, Sheung Shui.
At about 5.30am this morning, Customs officers intercepted an oil tanker on its way of leaving the site in Kwu Tung. They seized from it 16,000 litres of detreated oil with a duty potential of about $47,000. Customs believed that the vehicle was about to convey the detreated oil to other venues for sale.
During the operation, Customs officers also seized a number of apparatus for detreating process which included a lot of used activated carbon, three cylindrical high-pressure tanks and a disposed container for storing detreated oil.
The total seizure amounted to about $420,000.
A 52-year-old male driver was arrested. He would later be charged with offences under the Dutiable Commodities Ordinance.
"Investigation showed that the culprit used high-pressure tanks, which were stuffed with activated carbon for filtration process, to decolourize the industrial marked oil. By using the high-pressure tanks, the detreating process time for 16,000 litres of marked oil will be reduced from three hours to one-and-a-half," a spokesman for Customs and Excise Department said.
Using illicit fuel is a criminal offence. Under the Dutiable Commodities Ordinance, buying and selling illicit fuel is liable to prosecution. If convicted, the maximum penalty is a fine of $1 million and imprisonment for two years. Furthermore, drivers using illicit fuel would have their driving licences disqualified for half year and their vehicles forfeited.
The spokesman reiterated that Hong Kong Customs would continue its stringent enforcement in combating illicit fuel activities.
In case members of the public come across any suspected illicit fuel activities, they are advised to report to the Customs 24-hour hotline 2545 6182.
Ends/Friday, June 24, 2005