Deterrence of Fuel Smuggling Crimes Questioned as Smugglers Return After Fines

Birjand – The head of the Economic Security Police of South Khorasan criticized the lack of deterrence in fuel smuggling penalties, saying some smugglers return to smuggling after their vehicles are seized and they pay fines.

According to Mehr reporter, Colonel Yadullah Dehghan said on Tuesday morning at the meeting of the Commission for Planning, Coordination and Supervision of Combating Goods and Currency Smuggling: This year, 2,276,000 liters of smuggled fuel have been discovered, which has reduced by 25%.

The Chief of the Economic Security Police of the South Khorasan Police Command said: This issue is influenced by various factors, among which we can point to the existing conditions that have made smugglers less willing to operate in this area.

Referring to the discoveries made in the field of goods and currency smuggling, he added: During this period, among the discoveries, 383 light livestock, 22 heavy livestock, 647 thousand items of medicine, 41 shipments of timber, 41 thousand medical equipments, 224 shipments of foodstuffs and three to four household appliances and a total of 641 thousand items of other goods were mentioned in the statistics provided.

The head of South Khorasan Economic Security Police stated that most of the cases filed in the province are related to fuel smuggling and stated: In this context, operational measures and dealing with vehicles carrying smuggled fuel are followed seriously.

Dehghan announced the implementation of joint operations with other provinces and said: In cooperation with provinces such as Kurdistan and Lorestan, joint operations have been carried out that have led to the discovery of 34 cases of smuggling in the field of fuel-carrying vehicles. These actions are considered important points in the fight against smuggling of goods and currency in South Khorasan, and it is necessary to reflect its achievements at the national level.

Referring to the effect of law enforcement measures on reducing road casualties, he said: some of these measures are carried out in the late hours of the night and in difficult road conditions; Actions that may be less visible, but have important effects in improving road safety.

Dehghan stated: The number of shooting vehicles in South Khorasan roads has decreased from 200 last year to 30.

He added: Also, in total, the number of injured and dead in shooting vehicle accidents decreased by 100 people in 1403 compared to 1402 and by 37 people in 1404 compared to the previous year.

The head of South Khorasan economic security police said, emphasizing the decisive action against smugglers, "We will not allow smugglers to pass their cargo easily through the province and we will deal with this phenomenon as far as the law allows."

Dehghan stated: sometimes the profit from smuggling is so much that people even carry small amounts of fuel in their luggage.

Referring to the repetition of violations by some offenders, he pointed out: even in some cases, the cars that were seized earlier, their cases were referred to government punishments and fined, return to the smuggling cycle again.

He emphasized: This issue shows that the current crimes do not have the necessary deterrence in some cases.

The Chief of South Khorasan Economic Security Police continued: When the profit from smuggling is significant, simply confiscating the car and applying the current fines is not enough to prevent the repetition of the violation.

Dehghan stated: The legal mechanism of dealing with smuggling, especially fuel smuggling, should be revised so that the cost of committing this violation for the smugglers is much higher than its benefit.

The head of the economic security police of South Khorasan stated that fuel smuggling is not just an economic offense and added: This phenomenon can have security and economic consequences. Therefore, it is necessary for the decisions of specialized working groups to lead to operational and preventive solutions.