FUZHOU, Sept. 14 -- Police in east China's Fujian Province have busted a major oil-smuggling network, arresting 99 suspects and confiscating 1,700 tonnes of smuggled fuel.

The provincial border police reported Thursday that the smuggling network involving four gangs had been operating in Fujian since June 2024. They owned nine mid-size oil tankers and were well organized.

Police raided the gangs as their ships set out on a new smuggling trip on Aug. 11. During the raid, police seized 7 ships, ten oil trucks and nine underground storage facilities.

Initial investigations showed that the gangs have smuggled at least 180,000 tonnes of oil valued at 900 million yuan (138 million U.S. dollars) so far this year.