KPDN Bans Repeat RON95 Petrol Re-Fills in Kelantan

KPDN has banned the repeat purchases of RON95 at all fuel stations in Kelantan while warning of any collusion with smugglers.

The Minister of Domestic Trade and Cost of Living (KPDN) has announced the ban on repeated purchases of RON95 petrol in Kelantan. This ban will take effect at all fuel stations in the East Coast Peninsula state in a bid to prevent the smuggling of subsidised petrols to neighbouring countries.

As reported by Berita Harian, this directive was issued after the ministry discovered that the practice of repeated purchases of RON95 petrol was conducted by smugglers, especially at fuel stations nearby the Malaysia-Thailand border. While this directive is limited to the state of Kelantan for now, KPDN deputy director of enforcement Shamsul Nizam Khalil said this enforcement will be further expanded to other border states, including Perlis, Kedah, and Perak.

“In fact, the order has been carried out since June 10, before the federal government began targeted fuel subsidies, with KPDN officers positioned around customs, immigration, and quarantine (CIQ) complexes and petrol stations in the state," Shamsul Nizam said.

The repeated refuelling tactic was often used by fuel smugglers, who employ vehicles with local licence plates and fuel them up to the brim with RON95 petrol. With a typical vehicle boasting a fuel tank capacity of 60 litres that allows travels of up to 600 KM, the same vehicle was often found refuelling once again way before reaching the maximum travel distance, hence raising a suspicion that the fuel is being smuggled out of the country.

To prevent further fuel smuggling, the KPDN pleads for cooperation and help from fuel station operators while warning any members of the public not to collude with the smugglers in their illegal activities.

“If the fuel smugglers are caught, action can be taken against petrol station operators for allowing RON 95 petrol to be repeatedly purchased, and the KPDN has warned all petrol station operators that their licences may be cancelled if they are found to be colluding with smugglers,” Shamsul Nizam added.

With the recent abolishment of subsidised diesel fuel prices, smugglers have now opted to smuggle the subsidised RON95 petrol, which is currently priced at RM2.05 per litre. Meanwhile, the unsubsidised diesel fuel is now priced at RM3.35 per litre, which is a significant increase of RM1.20 compared to the previous subsidised price of RM2.15 per litre for the Euro 5 B10 diesel fuel.