Maria David
A WOMAN is to be arrested after the discovery of 66 containers holding 25-litre illegal petrol each and 25 000 packs of Yes cigarettes at Iyuhwi village in the Oniipa area on Wednesday.
She was recently found guilty of a similar offence and paid a fine.
Fuel smuggling remains the most common cross border crime in the northern regions of Namibia, despite several warnings from the Ministry of Mines and Energy.
Oshikoto police commander Commissioner Armas Shivute said the containers and cigarettes were found in a room inside a locked building.
“The team also found 10 empty 25-litre containers and two empty 5-litre containers,” he said.
Shivute said the owner of the building gave consent for the police to do the recovery.
The woman is yet to be arrested for contravening the Petroleum and Energy Products Act and related regulations, the Customs and Excise Act, and the Tobacco Act.
The ministry said smuggled fuel is not safe and does not meet Namibian standards. It deprives the State of much-needed tax revenue and also harms the businesses of local service station owners.
