Border police officers inspect red-dyed diesel in a boat trying to smuggle the fuel in from Hong Kong at Shenzhen Bay in Nanshan District yesterday. More than 20 tons of smuggled diesel was seized. The red fuel is a light diesel oil colored with a red dye. It is tax exempt in Hong Kong so it s cheaper, but it is prohibited from being sold on the mainland.
As international crude oil prices increased to around US$90 from US$70 in early October, smuggling of red oil became rampant driven by high profits. Shenzhen Customs have seized three boats smuggling nearly 70 tons of red oil since Dec. 8.
SD-Agencies
