Two men from Hayes are among a number of people arrested after HMRC uncovered a fuel laundering fraud worth £3 million.
More than 150 officers raided addresses across the south east and eight men were arrested in total on June 28.
Alongside two residential addresses in Hayes, 14 other residential and business premises in the south east were searched and HMRC seized what they believe to be a diesel laundering plant.
Two men from Hayes, a 46-year-old and a 35-year-old, were arrested in the raids as well as men from Watford, Romford, Southend and three men from County Amargh, Northern Ireland.
The fraud involved red diesel, a lower taxed fuel for agricultural use being laundered through a machine which removed chemicals put in by the government.
The fuel can then be sold to unsuspecting drivers, with fraudsters pocketing the profit which would normally go to the government in various fuel duties.
HMRC believe the laundering plant they recovered could produce as much as 7 million litres of the illicit fuel a year, evading £3 million in revenue.
They also seized 100,000 litres of suspected red diesel, commercial and private vehicles and specialist equipment.
John Cooper, Assistant Director, Fraud Investigation Service, HMRC said:
“Laundering fuel is a serious crime, which HMRC is determined to tackle. Around £100 million in unpaid duty and taxes is lost each year to fuel fraud in the UK, money that should be helping fund public services. We are determined to take that profit away.
“The toxic waste from fuel laundering poses a real threat to the environment and costs thousands of pounds to dispose of safely. Taxpayers are not only missing out on the stolen tax, but we also have to fund the substantial clean up and disposal costs.
“We urge anyone with information about the transport, storage or sale of suspected illicit fuel to contact our Fraud Hotline on 0800 788 887.”
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