Coast Guard has detained two smugglers along with 39,000 litres of fuel in separate drives in Bhola and Chattogram.
Media Officer of Coast Guard Lt Commander Sabbir Alam Suzan confirmed the matter on Friday.
He said acting on a tip-off, a special operation was conducted by Coast Guard Base Bhola at 5pm on Thursday in the area adjacent to Vheduria Ferry Terminal in Bhola Sadar. During the drive, two smugglers were detained while illegally transporting around 2,000 litres of oil worth Tk2 lakh via a steel-body boat.
The seized oil was later sold at market price to a filling station under the supervision of an executive magistrate. The detained smugglers were fined Tk70,000 and then released along with the boat.
In a separate operation in Chattogram, acting on a tip-off, a special mobile court was conducted between 2pm and 6pm on Thursday by Coast Guard Base Chattogram, the Navy, and the Chattogram Port Authority (CPA) against tankers carrying illegally stored oil in the Karnaphuli River.
During the operation, a tanker was searched, leading to the recovery of 37,000 litres of illegally stored diesel worth around Tk37 lakh.
Legal proceedings regarding the seized fuel and the tanker are underway under the supervision of the CPA executive magistrate.
