Two men have been arrested and more than 80,000 litres of fuel seized after an alleged petrol tampering scam was uncovered in Northern Ireland today.
Customs officers also confiscated £15,000 cash in the operation.
The men were taken into custody at a chemical supply company in Co Down.
More than 70,000 litres of fuel was seized from a distributor in Co Armagh with 10,000 litres from two filling stations in Co Down.
Tests will now be carried out on the petrol to establish whether it has been illegally diluted with chemicals.
John Whiting from Customs said: “We are investigating the possibility of the deliberate contamination of petrol in Northern Ireland.
“As well as evading duty any attempt to adulterate petrol is a dangerous business and would be a disturbing trend.”
The assistant director of criminal investigation said testing discovered excessive levels of methanol in samples from a number of filling stations in the province.
“Methanol is toxic and highly flammable. Anyone choosing to use illegal fuel puts their engines at risk from corrosion,” he said.
“However, this has potentially much more serious health risks.”
Investigations into the suspected fraud are continuing.
Anyone with information has been asked to contact customs officers.
PA