Four filling stations were shut down and had their licenses cancelled by the National Petroleum Authority (NPA) Western Region office because they did not adhere to the Authority’s regulations in cooperation with some security services.
Sandra Aidoo, the authority’s director for the western region, revealed during a press conference in Takoradi that between January and April 2023, separate operations led by the Navy and Marine Police resulted in the seizure of 73,000 liters of crude oil and 108,000 liters of diesel from some smugglers.
Four retail locations that didn’t achieve our score were shut down as a result of our monitoring exercises,” she said.
They aren’t working right now because they don’t adhere to our standards. Between January and April of this year, we conducted two additional operations with the assistance of the Navy and Marine Police.
“In January, we first seized 108,000 gallons of diesel on the high seas. The smugglers were detained, and they are now being tried in court. The other incident occurred in April, when 73,000 liters of crude oil were seized. We presently have the merchandise because the smugglers fled.
She claims that after the case is finally decided in court, the NPA will decide what happens to the merchandise.
“We still have the products available, and we will decide what to do with them once the dispute has been resolved in court. The smugglers fled with the crude oil, so we carried it to Accra, where the public will learn what happened to it, she continued.
She continues by saying that since some owners of gas stations buy the items at low prices on the Authority’s bad side, the smugglers’ operations are having an impact on the quality of the fuel delivered at the pumps.
These situations are quite prevalent in the Western Region, which is having an impact on our business. The smugglers sell these items directly to the stations and there is no tax on them. We shouldn’t allow them onto the market because the quality of such products cannot be assured, she continued.
The purpose of the yearly media interaction is to update them on NPA operations.
