By Benjamin Cuaresma
MANILA — Seven individuals were arrested while more than P62.2 million worth of illegally traded diesel fuel and a tugboat were seized during a joint law enforcement operation in Barangay Wawa, Batangas City, the Philippine National Police (PNP) reported on Sunday.
The operation was carried out by the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group Regional Field Unit 4A (CIDG RFU4A), the Batangas CIDG, and the Batangas Maritime Police after authorities uncovered the suspects’ alleged involvement in selling diesel fuel without the required license from the Department of Energy.
Conducted on July 9 and 10, the operation resulted in the confiscation of a tugboat loaded with 31,199 liters of diesel fuel, five plastic containers containing additional fuel, and marked money used in the buy-bust operation.
The recovered evidence has been turned over to CIDG RFU4A for documentation and the filing of appropriate charges, while the seized tugboat remains under the custody of the Batangas Maritime Police pending further investigation.
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