2 Hongkongers held after raids on 3 illegal fuel stations amid oil price spike

2026.03.18 15:50 The illicit fuel station in a car park at Lok Wah North Estate in Ngau Tau Kok. Photo: Sam Tsang Hong Kong authorities have raided three illegal fuelling stations and arrested two men, seizing more than 1,800 litres (475.5 gallons) of petrol with an estimated market value of HK$54,000 (US$6,891) as oil prices continue to spike amid the widening conflict in the Middle East. The joint crackdown by the Fire Services Department and the Customs and Excise Department in the past week also led to the detention of three vehicles and the arrest of a suspected station operator and customer. “Recently, fuel prices in Hong Kong have continued to rise, giving criminals a stronger incentive to profit by selling cheaper untaxed fuel,” said Chong Sin-han, a senior investigator with customs’ revenue crimes investigation bureau. Officers said on Wednesday that they confiscated about 1,830 litres of illegal petrol with a potential duty value of HK$11,000 over the past week. In the latest operation on Wednesday afternoon, officers raided an illegal mobile station inside a car park at Lok Wah North Estate in Ngau Tau Kok, seizing about 400 litres of illicit petrol, fuelling equipment and two private cars. A 39-year-old suspected operator and a 70-year-old driver believed to be a customer were arrested and both vehicles were detained. A truck that caught fire on Container Terminal South Road on Monday is suspected of having been converted to carry up to 2,000 litres of black-market fuel. Photo: Handout On Tuesday, fire services officers intercepted an illegal station at an open area near Tai Wo Ping Salt Water Service Reservoir in Sham Shui Po, recovering about 30 litres of petrol and equipment. On Monday, customs officers raided a makeshift illegal station inside a cargo container at Shek Lau Po, a remote village in Tung Chung, seizing around 1,400 litres of fuel, equipment and a vehicle. Pump prices for petrol in Hong Kong ranged between HK$31 and 33 per litre on Wedne

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