80 Tons of Fuel Seized: Five Illegal Gas Stations Closed in Kyiv Region

Law enforcement agencies in the Kyiv region have conducted an operation that resulted in the closure of five illegal gas stations (GS) engaged in the unlawful storage and sale of counterfeit fuel. This action was the culmination of an extensive investigation that revealed these gas stations were operating without the necessary permits and were sourcing fuel from an unregistered oil depot. The press service of the Bureau of Economic Security (BEB) reported this information, as conveyed by Ukrinform.

The investigation established that the fuel sold at these gas stations was procured from an illegal oil depot, which was not recorded in the appropriate registries and operated without the requisite documentation, constituting a serious violation of current Ukrainian legislation.

During searches at the sites of the illegal gas stations, law enforcement officials found no quality certificates, fuel passports, or accompanying documentation that would confirm the legal origin of the petroleum products. This absence of documentation indicates that all operations conducted by these stations were illegal.

As part of the investigative actions, approximately 50 tons of diesel fuel and over 30 tons of A-95 gasoline were seized. In addition to fuel, three storage tanks, two fuel distribution complexes, as well as computer equipment and financial documents that corroborate the illegal activities of these gas stations were confiscated.

Preliminary estimates suggest that the total value of the seized fuel and equipment exceeds 6 million hryvnias. This figure highlights the scale of the illegal business, which not only inflicted significant damage on the country's economy but also posed risks to consumer safety.

The pre-trial investigation is ongoing under Article 204 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, which pertains to the illegal production, storage, sale, or transportation of excise goods for sale. Law enforcement agencies continue to work on identifying other participants in this criminal scheme.

It is worth noting that recently, detectives from the Territorial Office of the BEB in the Volyn region uncovered a large network involved in the illegal production and sale of fuel, which operated across several regions of Ukraine. As a result of this operation, over 13 million hryvnias in cash equivalent were seized, underscoring the seriousness of the issue of illegal fuel circulation in Ukraine.

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