One week after police officers discovered two underground tanks filled with more than 11,000 litres of diesel at Sea Lots, Port-of-Spain, another illegal bunkering operation was found nearby during a police exercise. Police admitted they stumbled across the illegal operation by accident.
Officers of the Guard and Emergency Branch, Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) and Besson Street CID were on patrol in the Laventille and Port-of-Spain areas when they came acrosss five 1,000-gallon water tanks at an abandoned house around 11.30 am. Of the five tanks, NP officials said only one had fuel. They siphoned approximately 500 litres of diesel. Further checks by police uncovered two electrical pumps, which were powered by extension cords, from a nearby house.
The owner of the house is in prison accused of murder, police said. The discovery yesterday is connected to that last Monday’s find as National Petroleum officials believed that the two underground tanks found last week was a main storage area for the diesel racketeers. Coast Guard divers were called in to remove an underwater hose which travelled to the Caricom Jetty Yesterday’s find was the fourth for the year and in the Sea Lots community.
Last Monday, officers from the IATF were on patrol in Sea Lots when they found the two underground tanks on an abandoned lot of land. The tanks, located near the shore, were estimated to be 12 feet deep and contained thousands of litres of fuel.