Iran: 12 Arrested As IRGC Seizes Ship Smuggling Fuel In Persian Gulf
The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) seized a tanker ship carrying over 300,000 liters of smuggled fuel in Persian Gulf waters and arrested 12 crew members, according to a high-ranking Iranian judiciary official.
Mojtaba Qahremani, head of Iran’s southern province of Hormozgan’s Justice Department, said on Thursday that personnel from the IRGC Navy’s Zolfaqar flotilla captured the vessel carrying 330,000 liters of fuel in the Persian Gulf as part of operations to detect and fight organized smuggling.
The IRGC forces also arrested 12 smugglers, he added, noting that the case is under investigation.
According to the official, the Hormozgan Justice Department will continue to fight fuel smuggling and will not hesitate to defend the interests of the Iranian people.
Late in October, forces from the IRGC’s first naval zone apprehended a foreign tanker ship carrying 11 million gallons of smuggled fuel in the Persian Gulf.
Iran has vowed that the Persian Gulf would never be a safe place for smugglers. The IRGC’s Navy has also foiled several attacks on Iranian and foreign tankers alike.
