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Diesel smuggling racket busted in high seas, 2 held

Customs dept recovers 180-200 tonnes of diesel

2 min readMumbaiUpdated: Jan 20, 2026 10:33 PM IST

It was discovered that the diesel was smuggled from foreign vessels and sold to local coastal boats and to factories with an intent to evade customs duty, an official said. (Source: File/ Representational)

Mumbai customs department busted an alleged diesel smuggling racket and recovered 180 – 200 tonnes of smuggled diesel hidden in water tanks that were concealed in the structure of a barge.

The master of the vessel and the son of its owner have been placed under arrest with more arrests likely in the case. As per officials, this was one of the biggest catches by the Customs department where a big barge containing fuel containers was used for high speed diesel smuggling.

An official said that based on specific intelligence a team of Rummaging an Intelligence, Mumbai Customs , Zone 3, intercepted a Barge MV Tina 4 registered in the name of M/s Shiny Shipping & Logistics Pvt ltd and recovered approximately 180-200 tonnes of smuggled diesel concealed in water tanks.

Officials recorded the statement of master of the vessel, engineer and authorised representative of shipping line was recorded. It was discovered that the diesel was smuggled from foreign vessels and sold to local coastal boats and to factories with an intent to evade customs duty, an official said.

Further, it was found at the time of inspection that one of the water tanks was not a part of the approved design of the barge by the Indian register of Shipping. The owner’s son and the master have been arrested, and it also could lead to more arrests later, an official said. Shiny Shipping, the which owns the vessel, operates many barges all over the country.

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