Brig. Gen. Hossein Rahimi said Tuesday, at the first National Conference on Preventing and Combating Fuel Smuggling, that the total value of smuggled goods in Iran is about $30 billion based on the latest estimates. Of that amount, 80 percent is inbound smuggling and about 20 percent is outbound, which consists mainly of fuel products and accounts for the largest share of smuggled goods.

Rahimi said fuel smuggling continues to rise, noting that inbound smuggling has grown by about 8 percent and outbound smuggling by about 28 percent. He said an estimated 30 percent of the country’s economy and national budget is affected by smuggling, adding that serious attention, urgent action and broad-based determination are needed to curb fuel smuggling.

Daily Fuel Smuggling Worth More Than 1 Trillion Tomans

Rahimi said more than 20 million liters of fuel are smuggled out of Iran each day, valued at more than 1 trillion tomans at current exchange rates. To prevent the loss of this national asset, he said, a special task force to combat fuel smuggling has been established, and formal directives have been issued to provincial police commanders and border units. The task force is focusing on two main areas: targeting major and organized smuggling networks and conducting continuous intelligence and operational missions.

Rahimi said more than 330 trillion tomans’ worth of smuggled fuel has been seized in the first seven months of the year. The provinces of Hormozgan, Greater Tehran, West Azerbaijan, Bushehr and Zanjan have the highest levels of fuel smuggling, he said, adding that the Border Guard Command has prioritized measures to prevent further losses of national resources.

He said more than 21,000 fuel-smuggling cases were filed in the first seven months of the year, accounting for 36 percent of all smuggling cases nationwide. During the same period, 20,000 individuals were arrested in connection with fuel smuggling and referred to judicial authorities, and 16,000 vehicles carrying smuggled fuel were impounded.

Rahimi said Iran’s Economic Security Police, the Central Headquarters for Combating Goods and Currency Smuggling, the Oil Ministry and the Attorney General’s Office are working together as a joint task group. He said early results show the cooperation is effective and that efforts to combat fuel smuggling will continue with greater intensity.