A large-scale ring of counterfeiters has been busted after producing and distributing a record amount of fake fuel products worth 1.06 trillion won ($883 million) if they were genuine, police said Monday.
Seoul's Suseo Police Station said they arrested six people, including a ringleader surnamed Seo, and booked 15 others without physical detention on charges of making and selling some 320 million liters of counterfeit fuel products, the largest known volume to be uncovered in the nation.
Police investigators said they are pursuing 14 others who are still at large.
The suspects allegedly produced 220 million liters of fake gasoline and 100 million liters of fake diesel at abandoned factories and highway shoulders, investigators said. Counterfeit products packed in small iron cans were distributed to illegal street vendors and gas stations nationwide.
Unauthorized fake oil products have long been overtly sold by vendors near highways or gas stations as it is about one-third the price of regular oil, police said. The fake gasoline, however, is banned as it threatens users' safety and is highly unstable compared to authentic fuel products.
Police investigators, following a tip-off from the state-run Korea Institute of Petroleum Management (K-Petro), launched an investigation in May of this year.
"Consumers are sometimes tempted to purchase fake oil as it is about 30 percent cheaper," a police officer close to the investigation said. "However, I discourage people from buying fake products since using them can lead to dangerous accidents like explosions."
Police said they have also seized 68,000 liters of oil worth 265 million won and 26 phones used for the crime, adding they are further investigating other accomplices connected to a major local gang.
K-Petro said the fake oil has been prevalent as penalties for producers have been relatively light, and demanded heavier punishments.
Last year, the government introduced a new one-strike system in which gas stations caught selling fake fuel from a hidden tank have their business licenses revoked the first time they are caught. (Yonhap)