Latest: Man and woman arrested in Cookstown over 8,000 litres of illegal fuel

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

By The Newsroom

Published 1st Aug 2014, 11:03 BST

HMRC officers, accompanied by the Police Service of Northern Ireland, searched a private address and a retail site in the Cookstown area on Wednesday (30 July), 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.

“Anyone with information about the production, storage or sale of illicit fuel should contact the Customs hotline on 0800 59 5000.”

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