Al Ain: An attempt to smuggle 45 trucks of diesel to the northern emirates was foiled by Al Ain authorities, said an Al Ain Police official.
The official said the authorities in Al Ain have seized 45 trucks driven by Arab and Asian drivers as they tried to smuggle diesel from Al Ain to the northern emirates, in order to take advantage of a recent fuel shortage.
The trucks which were illegally loaded with diesel, were seized in different areas of Al Ain last week, the official added.
The official said the trucks were planning to move to the northern emirates, where they would offload diesel onto authorised tankers and sell it on the black market to benefit from a large price gap between Abu Dhabi and those emirates.
Al Ain Police received a tip-off on suspicious movement of trucks in the emirate with illegal operations involving transport of diesel to the northern emirates, the official added.
The official added that the police will meet officials from the municipality and Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc) in the next few days to discuss measures to combat smuggling.
More stringent penalties will be imposed on smugglers. Border points will also be monitored to avoid any possible diesel smuggling to neighbouring countries in the future , the official added.
The case has been referred to Public Prosecution, the official said.
