Petrol customers across Egypt should see tightened security at gas stations and oil depots in the coming days.
In a statement issued by the Interior Ministry on Monday, police will be deployed in greater numbers to gas stations, with the order to ensure the released amounts of gas are being properly distributed.
Interior Minister Mohamed Ibrahim said the ministry has enacted strict measures to address the problem of black market smuggling of petroleum products. Off-the-market prices for petrol have skyrocketed as the fuel shortage has continued in the past month.
In recent days, Ibrahim said, police have closed 15 unlicensed gas and diesel fuel stations in several governorates.
According to the Interior Ministry’s Facebook page, police also seized 65,000 tons of diesel fuel and 2 tons of gasoline in four governorates that was to be sold on the black market.
Egypt is currently suffering from a stifling gas shortage, with demand increasing as buyers fear further limits in supply.
This week, the Petroleum Ministry said it began pumping 38,000 tons of gasoline instead of 34,000 per day. Egypt produces 90 percent of its gas consumption.
Parliament blamed the government for failing to respond to the crisis, saying such a failure is a reason to remove the cabinet.
On Saturday, MENA reported that the country’s military rulers are asking for assistance from certain Arab countries to help ease the fuel crisis it has been facing for over three months now.
In Cairo, police raids arrested a gas station owner who had attempted to smuggle 1 million liters of diesel fuel to sell on the black market.
In Sohag, security forces seized 27.5 tons of diesel fuel and 2,000 liters of gasoline from three gas stations before it could make it on the black market.
In the Red Sea Governorate, police seized 3 tons of diesel fuel. And in Luxor, authorities got a hold of 34,400 liters of diesel fuel before it could be sold illegally.
According to the ministry’s statement, police over the past three days arrested 126 suspects and seized 854,000 liters of gasoline and diesel fuel.
