45 trucks caught smuggling diesel

UAE authorities have seized nearly 45 trucks as they tried to smuggle diesel from the eastern oasis town of Al Ain to the northern emirates, taking advantage of a fuel crisis there, the semi official daily Alittihad said on Wednesday.

The trucks, which were illegally laden with diesel, were seized in different areas last week and several Arab and Asian smugglers were arrested, the paper said.

It quoted officials as saying the trucks were destined for the northern emirates, where they offload diesel on authorized tankers and sell the stuff in the black market to benefit from a large price gap between Abu Dhabi and those emirates.

The Abu Dhabi-based Alittihad noted that the price of diesel sold in the northern emirates has reached around Dh15 per gallon while it is sold at only Dh10.6 at ADNOC filling stations in Abu Dhabi and Al Ain.

It said the smuggling trucks were seized in joint operations launched by the municipality and the police following reports about growing illegal operations involving transport of diesel to the northern emirates.

It said representatives from the municipality, police and ADNOC met this week to discuss measures to combat smuggling.

“We have decided to take a series of measures in this respect,” it quoted Salim Al Kaabi, head of public health at the Abu Dhabi municipality, as saying.

He said the measures include halting selling of diesel in Al Ain for cash, intensifying patrols in and around those areas, and introducing stiffer penalties against smugglers. Border points will also be monitored for any possible diesel smuggling to neighbouring countries, he added.

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