13,000 litres of chemicals used to bypass the need for petrol have been seized by a police operation in the cities of Braga and Porto.
Operation “Escape Limpo” (clean exhaust) involved over 30 ‘raids’ on homes, warehouses and vehicles.
A GNR police statement says the chemicals apprehended “were used as substitutes for petrol to fill up vehicles and so escape the respective taxes”.
Also seized in the operation were 24,380 cigarettes and 3,000 euros in cash.
Four men have been given ‘arguido’ (official suspect) status, along with two companies “in the chemical products sector”, cited for the practice of the “crime of fraudulent introduction in the consumption of products subject to fuel and energy taxes”.
The police investigation – led by the GNR’s fiscal unit – began six months ago.
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