Petrol and diesel are becoming more expensive – this leads to more fuel smuggling: Customs have caught a man who drove his van with around 500 liters of heating oil. The 24-year-old wanted to save with it, said a press spokeswoman for the main customs office in Schweinfurt on Tuesday. “Thinking short-sightedly attracts the potential for savings. In fact, the use of untaxed fuels represents tax evasion,” it said in the customs statement.
With a barrel with a capacity of 208 liters and ten fuel canisters in the van, the man was on his way to Belgium on Autobahn 3 on Friday. The Bamberg Traffic Control Unit (KEV) of the police stopped the driver in the Burgebrach area and identified the heating oil, most of which the driver had already used up. The 24-year-old’s savings measure did not work out in the end: He had to pay just under 500 euros to customs. In addition to the embezzled energy tax, there was also a penalty for tax evasion. “Especially when fuel prices are high, the traffic route control unit has more to do with smuggled or untaxed fuels,” said the press spokeswoman.