TEHRAN – The chief judge of Hormozgan province in southern Iran announced that the state appeals court has upheld the judgment of the Bandar Abbas court, confirming the convictions of 14 members of an organized network involved in the smuggling of 27 million liters of diesel fuel.
According to the verdict, the network’s four ringleaders were each sentenced to five years in prison and fined a total of 26 trillion rials (approximately US$245 million). They were also banned from all marine activities, including transport and fishing, for three years.
The remaining defendants received various prison terms and financial penalties.
Authorities said they seized the smuggler under a court order after the operation led to an armed confrontation in which the suspects used incendiary devices against law enforcement officers.
Iran continues to engage in widespread fuel smuggling, both by land and sea, a problem driven by the country’s heavily subsidized fuel prices, which are among the lowest in the world. Wide price differentials between Iran and neighboring countries have facilitated large-scale illegal fuel transfers for years.
In response, Iranian authorities have stepped up efforts to interdict smugglers from land and sea, working with the Revolutionary Guard’s navy, army, and law enforcement agencies. According to official statistics, an estimated 25 million to 30 million liters of fuel products, including gasoline and diesel, are smuggled out of Iran every day.