TORORO – Police in Tororo has impounded over 15,000 litres of illicit fuel that was being enrooted to the market for sale.
The illicit 8,000 litres of diesel and 7,000 litres of petrol was impounded in TICAF village Osukuru sub-county Tororo district adjacent to Tororo Cement Industry 3 KM along Tororo-Kampala road.
The district police commander SP. Riggers Chebene confirmed that the fuel was impounded from two un-gazerted stores at around 4 am during an operation that the police had staged to crackdown illicit fuel business in the district.
He said during that operation the police successfully managed to arrest 10 suspects who are being held to help police establish the source of the fuel.
Chebene said the operation was effected basing on intelligence information that illicit had flooded the market and had equally caused the black market to licensed fuel stations.
‘’We acted following an outcry from truck drivers who claimed that their fuel is ever siphoned whenever they parked in the area’’ he said.
He added that besides creating black market to fuel stations, the business was also posing a danger to, especially Tororo Cement Industry in case fire guts.
The DPC said during the operation, cooking was going within some of the fuel stores.
Its alleged that the illicit fuel is being sold in the open market at 3,000 shillings and 3,500 shillings per litre of diesel and petrol respectively while licensed fuel stations sell at 3180 and 4140 shillings per litre of diesel and petrol respectively and this is said to have lowered most driver including those from the local government have resorted to the cheap fuel.
Mr. Odoi Louis, the village LC1 chairperson appealed to government never to restrict local people from engaging in local business especially in situations where smuggling of goods is not involved.
One of the sources that talked to this newspaper on anonymity said the business has lasted for quite some time and it had helped to reduce criminal acts like theft that the area was known for.
