HONG KONG: Hong Kong arrested nine people in a city-wide operation targeting illicit fuel activities, authorities said on Wednesday, as surging global oil prices continue to put pressure on the import-dependent financial hub.
The city lacks its own refineries and imports its entire supply of automotive fuel, with much of it coming from neighbouring mainland China.
Prices at Hong Kong's filling stations are among the world's most expensive, creating a growing incentive for smugglers to transport cheaper fuel illegally across the border into the city.
Authorities said they seized more than 30,000 litres of smuggled fuel worth more than HK$1 million (US$127,000) in September, arresting eight men and one woman.
