Gyeonggi Special Judicial Police Detects Three Cases of Illegal Fake Petroleum Manufacturing and Sales

Gyeonggi Province has uncovered general retail and solvent sales outlets within the province that violated the Petroleum Business Act by mixing and selling cheaper heating kerosene with diesel fuel.

The Gyeonggi-do Special Judicial Police Unit announced on June 10 that, in cooperation with the Southern and Northern Metropolitan Branches of the Korea Petroleum Management Institute, it conducted an intensive investigation over five weeks from April 21 to May 23. The investigation targeted 35 petroleum retailers and 50 forklift operation sites, resulting in the detection of a total of three illegal violations.

Fake petroleum not only causes air pollution such as fine dust and emits substances harmful to human health, but also leads to vehicle malfunctions.

According to the detected cases, a general retail outlet labeled as A was caught selling fake diesel fuel mixed with kerosene to forklift operation sites (consumers) using a mobile sales vehicle.

In the case of solvent sales outlet B, it was found that although it was supposed to receive solvents from a solvent agency (wholesaler) and sell them directly to end consumers, the solvent agency instead used a mobile sales vehicle to sell directly to the end consumers on behalf of B. Solvents are petroleum-based liquid chemical products mainly used as raw materials, cleaning agents, or diluents in chemical and industrial settings, and solvent sales outlets like B are not permitted to sell them.

Under the current Petroleum Business Act, manufacturing or selling fake petroleum is punishable by up to five years in prison or a fine of up to 200 million won, while violating business operation methods at a solvent sales outlet is punishable by up to two years in prison or a fine of up to 50 million won.

Gyeonggi Province plans to refer the detected businesses to the prosecution as soon as the investigations are completed, and will notify the relevant authorities of the investigation results so that administrative measures can be taken.

Ki Ido, head of the Gyeonggi-do Special Judicial Police Unit, stated, "Illegal distribution of petroleum products causes wear and tear on vehicle mechanical parts, safety accidents, fine dust, and the emission of gases harmful to human health, leading to environmental pollution and endangering residents' health. We will continue to conduct joint on-site inspections with the Korea Petroleum Management Institute to ensure the proper order of petroleum distribution is established."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.