Illegal filling station in a Ford Transit van found near the Berastavitsa checkpoint

An illegal filling station was operating near the Berastavitsa checkpoint on the border with Poland. It was set up in a Ford Transit van parked by the checkpoint.

According to non-state Belarusian outlets, the driver of a Polish truck used the services of a man who had organised a mobile filling station based on an old Ford Transit. A 1000-litre fuel tank and all the equipment needed to refuel other vehicles had been installed in the van.

The station was spotted by Hrodna customs officers. It was a "mobile" point serving foreign trucks.

One of its customers was a driver for a Polish carrier, who refuelled at the "mobile filling station" near Berastavitsa.

Carriers from EU countries are allowed to use only certain filling stations, where fuel costs more. According to the outlets, some Belarusians try to make money on this.

Here, fuel was sold to drivers from the European Union slightly cheaper than at Belarusian filling stations for foreigners, but slightly more expensive than Belarusian drivers pay. According to these reports, the organisers lived off that 2% difference.

The illegal point was discovered by border guards when one of the drivers working for a Polish carrier was draining fuel.