Colonel Yadollah Dehghan stated on Tuesday morning at a meeting of the Planning, Coordination, and Supervision Commission for Combating Smuggling of Goods and Currency: In the current year, 2 million and 276 thousand liters of smuggled fuel have been discovered, which represents a 25% decrease.
Factors Influencing the Decrease in Fuel Smuggling
The head of the Economic Security Police of South Khorasan said: This issue is influenced by various factors, including the current conditions that have led smugglers to have less inclination to operate in this area.
Read more: 34% Increase in Fuel Seizures and 41% Decrease in Road Casualties in Sistan and Baluchestan
He referred to the seizures made in the field of smuggling goods and currency, adding: During this period, among the seizures, 383 heads of light livestock, 22 heads of heavy livestock, 647 thousand items of medicine, 41 shipments of timber, 41 thousand medical equipment, 224 shipments of foodstuffs, and three to four household appliances, totaling 641 thousand other items were reported in the provided statistics.
Security Measures and Decrease in Road Casualties
The head of the Economic Security Police of South Khorasan emphasized that the majority of the cases formed in the province are related to fuel smuggling, stating: In this regard, operational measures and dealing with vehicles carrying smuggled fuel are being pursued vigorously.
Dehghan announced the execution of joint operations with other provinces and said: In collaboration with provinces such as Kurdistan and Lorestan, joint operations have been conducted that led to the discovery of 34 cases of smuggling involving vehicles carrying fuel. These actions are considered crucial points in combating smuggling of goods and currency in South Khorasan and it is necessary for their achievements to be reflected at the national level as well.
He pointed out the impact of law enforcement actions on reducing road casualties, stating: Some of these actions are carried out in the late hours of the night and under difficult road conditions; actions that may be less visible but have significant effects on improving road safety.
Dehghan emphasized: The number of smuggling vehicles on the roads of South Khorasan has decreased from 200 vehicles last year to 30 vehicles. Additionally, the total number of injured and fatalities from accidents involving smuggling vehicles in 2024 compared to 2023 has decreased by 100 people, and in 2025 compared to the previous year, by 37 people.
The head of the Economic Security Police of South Khorasan emphasized the need for a decisive approach to smugglers, stating: We will not allow smugglers to easily pass their shipments through the province, and we will confront this phenomenon as far as the law permits.
Dehghan stated: Sometimes the profit from smuggling is so significant that individuals even resort to transporting small amounts of fuel in their luggage. He also noted that in some cases, vehicles that were previously seized, their cases referred to the government’s punitive organization and fined, return to the smuggling cycle.
He emphasized: This issue indicates that current penalties do not have the necessary deterrent effect in some cases. The head of the Economic Security Police of South Khorasan continued: When the profit from smuggling is considerable, merely seizing vehicles and imposing current fines is not sufficient to prevent repeat offenses.
Dehghan stated: There needs to be a review of the legal mechanisms for dealing with smuggling, especially fuel smuggling, so that the cost of committing this offense is significantly greater than the benefit for smugglers.
The head of the Economic Security Police of South Khorasan stated that fuel smuggling is not just an economic offense, adding: This phenomenon can have security and economic consequences; therefore, it is necessary for the decisions of specialized working groups to lead to operational and deterrent solutions.
Read more: Explosion of Super Tanker Carrying Crude Oil in the Strait of Hormuz · Discovery of 26 Thousand Liters of Smuggled Fuel in Aligudarz
