Twenty arrests in 25 million euro fuel laundering case

Twenty people have been arrested in a massive fuel laundering case that has cost the Belgian state an estimated 25.5 million euros. Two criminal organisations were caught selling at least 30 million litres of decoloured red diesel.

Over the course of several days, 61 house searches were carried out as part of the investigation. Between 2020 and 2024, the suspects allegedly evaded excise duty by decolourising red diesel on a large scale and supplying it to various petrol stations.

Red diesel, or gas oil, is a low-tax version of regular road diesel that is mixed with a red dye to make it easier to detect illegal use. It is much cheaper than other fuels and is only allowed for certain uses, such as agricultural machinery.

The investigation is in the hands of the federal judicial police of Limburg. Under the orders of an investigating judge, seven searches were carried out in Wallonia on Wednesday. Various funds and goods with a total value of 5,375,148 euros were seized. 

^{© BELGA PHOTO NICOLAS MAETERLINCK}