Iran smashes 35 fuel smuggling networks: ministry

Iran's Intelligence Ministry said on Sunday that its forces had dismantled 35 "professional and organized" fuel smuggling networks in three provinces.

After implementing a series of intelligence and operational measures, the ministry's forces successfully infiltrated networks involved in large-scale fuel smuggling from Iran to international dealers. The ministry said on its website that key members of the networks were arrested following the necessary judicial procedures.

It added that the arrests were made in the provinces of Hormozgan, Tehran, and Alborz, stressing that the value of the networks' activities stood at 1.82 billion U.S. dollars.

The ministry stated that the authorities also blocked bank accounts of over 700 individuals who were linked to the arrested, noting these people had been involved in large-scale money laundering for the networks over the past few years.

With the government subsidy on fuel prices in Iran, smuggling fuel out of the country is a lucrative racket. Over the past few years, Iranian naval forces have seized numerous ships carrying smuggled fuel.