Pair Arrested In Fuel Fraud

Pair Arrested In Fuel Fraud

A man and a woman from Co Tyrone have been arrested and nearly 8,000 litres of fuel seized as part of an ongoing  investigation into a suspected VAT and excise fraud worth an estimated £300,000.

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) officers, accompanied by the Police Service of Northern Ireland, searched a private address and a retail site in the Cookstown area , where they seized computers and business records linked to the fraud investigation.

Mike Parkinson, assistant director, Criminal Investigation, HMRC, said: “The success of multi-agency working is crucial to tackling the problem of fuel fraud. These are difficult times for businesses economically and it is impossible for legitimate traders to compete on an unfair playing field. We owe it to them to support them in any way we can.”

The man and the woman were interviewed by HMRC and have been released on bail pending further enquiries.