The State has confiscated 15 truckloads of smuggled petroleum products worth GH¢3.4 million.
The total volume of the seized products is 810,000 litres.
Additionally, the 15 trucks will be auctioned to the public after the products have been sold to Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs).
According to the acting Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the National Petroleum Authority (NPA), Mr Hassan Tampuli, three truckloads of the products had so far been sold to GOIL.
He said the remaining products would be dispatched to GOIL stations to complete the process.
In an interview with the Daily Graphic in Accra on Tuesday, Mr Tampuli said the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) was in charge of the disposal of the products and the trucks.
Sale
Explaining further, Mr Tampuli said the Customs Division, in collaboration with the NPA, had sent confiscation notices to the owners of the trucks and products.
He said the management of the affected companies would also be invited before the NPA Board to explain why their company licences should not be revoked.
Mr Tampuli said the Customs Division would take the tax component from the sale of the trucks and products, while the NPA would benefit from the margins.
The NPA CEO said the public would be notified of the intended auction of the seized trucks.
Smuggling
The country risks losing a whopping GH¢1.5 billion in taxes and levies in 2017 due to the incidents of smuggling of fuel products.
Ghana lost an estimated GH¢800 million in 2016 as a result of the problem, which peaked last year.
But for smuggling, Ghana would have gained more than GH¢5 billion in revenue in 2017.
The President of the Association of Oil Marketing Companies (AOMCs), Mr Kwaku Agyemang-Duah, said more than 4,000 jobs would be lost this year if nothing was done about the problem.
Culprits who pose as exporters, enjoy low taxes and subsequently divert fuel products they are expected to export to Mali and Burkina Faso back to Ghana and sell them at prices lower than those of the OMCs whose prices contain taxes and levies.
Confiscation
Officials of the NPA, in collaboration with security personnel, impounded the 15 trucks in September, this year.
Each of the trucks was loaded with 54,000 litres of either petrol or diesel.
“A joint operation involving the military, the police, personnel from National Security and NPA staff, also arrested some drivers believed to be members of the fuel dumping syndicate in Tema who had in their possession, fake documents and fake Malian number plates,” Mr Tampuli said. The arrest were effected on September 12, 2017 around 5 p.m.
According to him, “the NPA received intelligence from the National Security regarding a suspicious export loading activity of petroleum products that had been carried out by some individuals with trucks stationed at a yard in Tema around Kpone, intending to dump the products at local retail outlets.”
“The operation team subsequently moved to the vicinity of the reported illegality around 7 p.m. to initially survey the area and plan the arrest of the individuals and Bulk Road Vehicles (BRVs) involved.
“Following the survey, the team scheduled a raid and arrest of the parties involved in the morning of Tuesday, September 12, 2017,” Mr Tampuli said.
He said the modus operandi of the syndicate was to lift products from depots in the country using trucks with Fake Malian numbers; the products were declared for exports into Mali, but were dumped onto the Ghanaian market.
Source: Daily Graphic
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This exercise must be extended to Takiradi bulk oil storage base, sekondi fishing harbour and New Takoradi beach area. Oil tankers on the sea discharge their products to illegal local oil dealers form the seas into boats and vessels, this vessels or boats are then discharge their products a long the beaches , which are then transported by trucks/articulators to various filling stations within and beyond the metropolitan especially in the nights.
Please mention the BDCs that supplied the product and the exporter together with the truck numbers. This the about the 4th so called arrest but no name or truck numbers have ever been mentioned.
GOOD NEWS, PLEASE PUBLISH THE REGISTRATION NUMBERS OF THE SAID TANKERS
.... no nin day wondr. no throwing of dust into ur eyes. no smoke screen.
We are our own enemies and we still have children who are supposedly bright going to school with thorn clothes. I believe whoever unnecessarily and willfully engages in this type of corruption and stealing the nations money has a "DIFFICULT UPBRINGING". That is why is important as a nation to maintain the sanctity of the home and family so that we as a nation can bring up descent and faithful citizens. Single mothers in this country are struggling too much and those who cannot, succumb and let go. They, single handedly only are left to cry seeing their children going wayward some of them evening becoming BIG SHOTS in society. I wish NANA ADDO will start protecting the SANCTITY OF GHANAIAN FAMILIES. THERE ARE TOO MANY BROKEN HOMES. GOD SAVE US.