Working in partnership to prevent organised crime

As I crossed the border travelling to Dublin last weekend, the sun was shining on the hills of South Armagh and it was a truly spectacular scene.  

On Wednesday I received a briefing about 14 tonnes of toxic waste discovered at a fuel laundering plant near the village of Jonesborough in South Armagh, and the potentially appalling environmental impact on the beautiful countryside I’d admired just days earlier.

Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HRMC) have said that it was one of the most sophisticated plants ever found in Northern Ireland and I am delighted to confirm that it has now been dismantled.  It is believed that the plant was capable of producing 25 million litres of illicit fuel with the potential to evade over £18m in taxes and duty a year.

John Whiting, Assistant Director of Criminal Investigation for HMRC commented that: “the level of sophistication was astounding,” and that it appeared to have been built solely for the purposes of laundering fuel.  To build this plant and install underground tanks, clearly took time and significant resources.   Therefore someone must have known that it was in operation, so I appeal to anyone who saw anything suspicious to report it to police.

In addition to the level of tax evasion and the cost to the tax payer, which in reality means less money for healthcare and schools, the recklessness of those responsible and the potential impact to the environment of such a shocking level of toxic waste is completely appalling and shows a total disregard for those who live in this area.    

That is to say nothing of the danger on our roads as this illicit fuel is transported around the country, often in crudely modified vehicles which aren't designed for that purpose, with absolutely no safety measures in place, often being driven by people with no appropriate training. The catastrophic consequences of one of these vehicles being involved in a collision does not bear thinking about.

This is of course not the first fuel laundering plant dismantled in this area, or in other parts of Northern Ireland and it will certainly not be the last.

What this discovery demonstrates, is that HMRC and your Police Service are absolutely determined that criminals will not be allowed to generate income by such dangerous illegal activities.  

Despite recent operational challenges, police officers are out there dealing with criminality, working in partnership with other agencies, and are determined to deprive criminals of finance which will ultimately be used to fund acts of criminality or terror. 

Some may think that this is a victimless crime and that no-one is really being affected, and may actively support it by buying laundered fuel.  But the reality is that the revenue that is being generated is being used by organised crime gangs and terrorist groups to further their own activities, whether that is buying drugs to sell on our streets or purchasing firearms and explosives.  

The outcome of their activities is certainly not victimless.  Illegally laundered fuel can be highly damaging to engines, so what might initially seem like a cheaper alternative, in the long run, can cause  problems costing hundreds, even thousands of pounds to repair.

We will continue to work with our partners to try to stop these activities and you can help by reporting suspicious activity to the police or HMRC directly or by calling the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.  By doing so you can help protect the environment, keep our roads safe and deprive organised criminals of the funding they crave to carry out serious crime.