Bobo-Dioulasso: The Hauts-Bassins Regional Judicial Police Service (SRPJ-HBS) held a news conference to announce the dismantling of a clandestine factory producing fake diesel in the Leguema district of Bobo-Dioulasso.
According to Burkina Information Agency, the factory, owned by an expatriate, manufactured counterfeit fuel by mixing used oil with chemicals like caustic soda and sulfuric acid. Commissioner Yacouba Farta, head of the SRPJ-HBS, revealed that the factory had a monthly production capacity of between 30,000 and 50,000 liters, generating revenues up to six million CFA francs.
The factory had been operating illegally for over two years, selling its fake diesel through an economic operator who held an IFU number. This operator supplied the raw materials and managed distribution under the misleading label "treated engine oil." The counterfeit diesel was sold at the factory for 510 CFA francs per liter and claimed to cost up to 600 CFA francs, posing potential risks to users' machinery.
Despite several unsuccessful attempts to shut down the operation, police were able to execute an elaborate intervention strategy to arrest those involved in the production. The suspects, including the expatriate owner, will face the public prosecutor at the Bobo-Dioulasso High Court for further legal proceedings.
Commissioner Farta commended the public for their role in combating fraud and crime, urging them to continue reporting suspicious activities through the freephone numbers 16, 17, and 1010.