Seyed Mohsen Sadeghi, the Governor of Zanjan, emphasized the importance of investigating the source and distribution network of smuggled fuel during a meeting of the Planning, Coordination, and Supervision Commission for Combating Smuggling of Goods and Currency in the province. He pointed out the significant price difference between fuel in the market and the cost of providing it for the government, stating that this issue has posed challenges to the existing process and requires a more serious will to combat fuel smuggling.
Discovery of the Shipment and the Necessity of Investigating Its Aspects
Sadeghi referred to the discovery of one million and 32 thousand liters of smuggled fuel by the provincial police command and said: "It is necessary to thoroughly investigate the aspects behind this shipment. It must be determined where this amount of fuel was sourced, where it was stored, how it was transported, and ultimately, through what route it was offered to the market."
Read more: Zanjan Governor: Identifying the Source and Route of Fuel Smuggling is Essential
The Governor of Zanjan continued that the judiciary and the enforcement agency must examine not only the discovered shipment but also the cycle of its supply and distribution, as well as the source of the fuel exiting the official network. He emphasized that merely addressing smuggled shipments has limited preventive power and that broader dimensions must be considered.
Managing Fuel Quotas and Planning for the Agricultural Sector
Sadeghi also highlighted the importance of managing fuel quotas in the agricultural sector, stating: "Decision-making in this area should be based on real data and systematic monitoring." He added that last year, 93 million liters of fuel quota was allocated for the agricultural sector of the province, of which 88 million liters were consumed and five million liters remained. This statistic indicates the need for an assessment of the fuel allocation and distribution system.
He stated that fuel consumption in the agricultural sector of the province has reached 85 million liters since the beginning of the year, and the Agricultural Jihad Organization and the National Oil Products Distribution Company should distribute the remaining quota with precise management in line with actual consumption patterns.
The Governor of Zanjan emphasized that fuel allocation should only be done through relevant systems to the actual consumer and with priority given to strategic products, and any allocation outside statistical and systematic frameworks is considered a violation.
Furthermore, Sadeghi announced that combating cigarette smuggling has been placed on the province's agenda and called for the justification of relevant trade unions involved in the purchase and distribution of cigarettes. He also suggested that a one-month pilot program for combating cigarette smuggling be implemented and its results evaluated weekly.
In conclusion, the Governor of Zanjan stressed the need for greater coordination in judicial handling of smuggling cases and said: "If specific instances are identified, the matter should be examined professionally, and the possibility of allocating a special branch for handling smuggling cases in the judiciary and enforcement agency should be assessed."
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