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Councilor claims bootleg gas traders rampant in Taipei

Illegal gasoline traders are rampant on the streets of Taipei City as domestic gasoline prices are the highest in history because of skyrocketing international crude oil prices, a Taipei City councilor claimed yesterday.

“Bootleggers are selling 98 unleaded gasoline at NT$25 (US$0.80) per liter, while at the gas stations of the state-run petroleum company CPC Corp, Taiwan (CPC, 台灣中油), the price is NT$32.2 per liter,” the Democratic Progressive Party’s Chuang Ruei-hsiung (莊瑞雄) said at a press conference held at the city council.

HEALTH THREAT

With the gasoline coming from unknown sources, Chuang warned that the bootleg product could cause air pollution, which is a health threat.

He added that the low cost of the bootleg fuel, which is being sold with a complimentary car wash, is tempting taxi drivers, despite the risk of damage to their vehicle engines.

Chuang urged the Taipei City authorities to take steps to stop the illegal trade.

CRACKING DOWN

In response, city officials said a special team has been organized to crack down on illegal gasoline sales.

Offenders may be subject to a fine of NT$1 million under the law governing petroleum management, they said. To date, however, the city’s law-enforcement officers have not caught any underground gasoline vendors.

The vendors are said to operate mostly at night and drive pickup trucks so that they can quickly mobilize to evade police checks.
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