A judge at Monaghan Circuit Criminal Court heard yesterday how Revenue officers swooped on an illicit fuel laundering plant at a shed in the Republic, close to the south Armagh Border, and seized 8,650 litres of laundered fuel.
A senior Revenue investigations' officer, Michael Hannon, told Judge John O'Hagan that the authorities were aware that this was a huge racket and that after colouring was removed from tax-rebated fuel it was being distributed to filling stations all over Ireland, where it was being sold at the higher price for commercial fuel.
The court also heard that the chemical sludge, which was dumped after the fuel was "processed", led to significant environmental problems for local authorities in several areas and had to be taken out of the country for safe disposal.
These disclosures were made in a case in which Mark Rice (33), a panel beater with an address at Tamlet, Castleshane, Co Monaghan, pleaded guilty to a charge of removing dye from fuel, without the consent of the Revenue authorities, at Killydonagh, Emyvale, Co Monaghan, on March 21st, 2005.
The investigations officer for the Revenue authorities told the court the illicit fuel laundering plant was kept under observation for some time, and the officers swooped after Rice was observed entering the premises. The plant equipment and diesel that was in storage at the plant were seized, he said.
Rice claimed he was only working as a fuel-tanker driver for a man from Northern Ireland, whom he claimed he only knew as "Mickey", and whom, he understood, lived in the Keady area of south Armagh.
He denied he was involved in the laundering of the fuel.
Prosecuting counsel Frank Martin said the penalties under the Act in question were a fine of €12,695 or, alternatively, a five-year jail sentence.
Judge O'Hagan remanded Rice on continuing bail, to a further sitting of the Circuit Criminal Court in Monaghan next January, for a probation report which he said he would take into account before imposing sentence.