Dirty gasoline manufacturing businesses find ways to 'feed the eels'!

(Baonghean.vn) - When approaching representatives of petroleum companies that mix solvents to create 'dirty' gasoline, they gave many reasons to justify themselves, even not hesitating to blame each other for the violations.

» Hot: Caught red-handed filling up 'dirty' gasoline at a station to sell to customers

No mixing, just selling…?!

That was the catchphrase of Mr. Nguyen Duc Ngu - representative of Thanh Ngu Company Limited (Ngoc Tan hamlet, Dien Ngoc, Dien Chau) repeatedly when we asked on the afternoon of October 23, 2017, at the Department of Science and Technology. Of the 4 gasoline samples of Thanh Ngu Company Limited sent for testing, 2 samples had indexes of only 46/92 and 46.4/92, the Department of Science and Technology Inspectorate determined that they were fake gasoline, a serious violation.

Mr. Nguyen Duc Ngu (far right), representative of Thanh Ngu Company Limited, worked with the Inspector of the Department of Science and Technology on the afternoon of October 23, 2017. Photo by Dao Tuan

However, when talking to the Inspector of the Department of Science and Technology, Mr. Ngu kept calling someone, then explained that he wanted to remove these two gasoline samples from the record because "they were poured by Kien Luc (Kien Luc Private Enterprise - PV). They were then sucked back out". Of course, the Inspector of the Department of Science and Technology did not accept because "The gasoline samples were sucked out by the Inspector of the Department of Science and Technology from the tank of Thanh Ngu Company Limited, witnessed by the relevant parties, and were sealed according to regulations".

Chief Inspector of the Department of Science and Technology Nguyen Manh Ha replied: We are responsible for informing you of the results of the gasoline sample appraisal, and the business's right to test the control sample. What you requested is not feasible. If there is anything unclear, we suggest you work with the investigation agency...".

Mr. Nguyen Duc Ngu said "it was all because of his wife's greed" and explained that he had been sick recently, his wife could not distinguish the quality of gasoline but heard that good gasoline was cheap so she bought it to sell.

In fact, with this company, at 11:00 a.m. on October 10, 2017, Department PC46 of the Provincial Police, Department of Science and Technology and Department A71 of the Ministry of Public Security caught red-handed pouring solvent in the tank of a tanker truck with license plate 37C - 7512 into a gas tank at a gas station for customers.

Thanh Ngu Company Limited's petrol station on National Highway 1A. Photo: PV

During an inspection at Thanh Ngu Company, the authorities discovered 2 bottles of colorant powder and 2 gasoline tanks (one containing 3,000 liters of A92 gasoline; the other containing 7,000 liters of A92 gasoline). Through the investigation, the business owner, Ms. Vu Thi Thanh (wife of Mr. Nguyen Duc Ngu), had to admit that the 7,000-liter tank contained gasoline mixed in the following ratio: 50% A92 gasoline + 50% solvent + colorant = poor quality gasoline.

Only sell solvents…?!

On the afternoon of October 24, 2017, the representative of Kien Luc Private Enterprise appeared at the Department of Science and Technology to listen to the Department's inspector announce the results of the gasoline sample assessment and related rights. Like the enterprises with previous violations, the representative of Kien Luc Private Enterprise, Mr. Tran Van Tuan, acknowledged the assessment results, did not test the control sample and signed the minutes.

Mr. Tran Van Tuan, representative of Kien Luc Private Enterprise, worked with the Inspector of the Department of Science and Technology on the afternoon of October 24, 2017. Photo by Nhat Lan

Mr. Tran Van Tuan said that he is a business operator, has bought and sold solvents in the Nghe An market, and "only for businesses trading in gasoline in Dien Chau". When asked when he started selling solvents, and how much was sold? Mr. Tuan answered that it was about 1 month, the amount was about 300m3 (equivalent to 300,000 liters). When asked again, where did he learn the craft of mixing solvents to create gasoline? According to Mr. Tuan, it was "from some people in the South..."

When talking to Mr. Tuan, Thanh Ngu Company Limited told us that they did not mix solvents to make poor quality gasoline, but only bought poor quality gasoline because they listened to Kien Luc Private Enterprise. Hearing this, Mr. Tuan replied: “Thanh Ngu Company has been in the gasoline business for decades, importing goods for dealers since we did not sell gasoline. There is no such thing. We only sell solvents, and they buy them to mix…”.

As reported by Nghe An Newspaper, on October 10, 2017, the authorities caught Thanh Ngu Company Limited pouring solvents in a tanker truck with license plate 37C - 7512 into a gas tank at a gas station for customers. The amount of solvents carried on the tanker truck had a capacity of 40,000 liters, and was transported from Can Tho City by Mr. Ngo Quang Thuc, a driver for Kien Luc private enterprise.

From here, the authorities continued to inspect Kien Luc Private Enterprise (Hamlet 8, Quynh My, Quynh Luu), discovering 2 tanks containing over 10,000 liters of poor quality gasoline; 1 bottle containing colorant powder. The son of the owner of this enterprise, Tran Van Tuan, admitted that from August 2017 to present, he has purchased 320,000 liters of solvent at a price of 10,600 VND/liter.

"Dirty" gasoline tank system of Kien Luc Private Enterprise. Photo: PV

Of which, 160,000 liters were sold to Thanh Ngu Company Limited; the remaining 160,000 liters, Tuan directed to mix with A92 gasoline at the ratio: 80% A92 gasoline + 20% solvent + colorant. Tran Van Tuan also confessed that in previous solvent trucks, Kien Luc Private Enterprise sold 40,000 liters to Ky Phuong gas station; 5 trucks to Sau Hang gas station, equivalent to about 200,000 liters.

They are all ringleaders!

Talking to some officials of the authorities who closely followed the case of mixing solvents to create poor quality gasoline, they confirmed that Kien Luc Private Enterprise and Thanh Ngu Company Limited were both the main agents in mixing dirty gasoline, then smuggling it to other businesses in the same business line to sell on the market. These are serious violations of the law on gasoline trading activities.

The reason they “spit out the blame” and blame each other is to reduce their own crimes. However, their wrongdoings were caught red-handed by the authorities. So no matter how they try to justify and cover up their crimes, they cannot escape the strictness of the law.

Nhat Lan - Dao Tuan