Authorities Raid Fuel Storage and Pipeline Companies Across 3 Provinces at 7 Key Locations Following Irregularities in Fuel Reporting
Thai authorities raided seven fuel storage and pipeline facilities across three provinces on April 28 after discovering irregularities in inventory reports suggesting possible hoarding for profit amid recent supply shortages.
At 8:30 AM on April 28, 2025, the Royal Thai Police Office, led by Lt. Gen. Nophsit Phoolsawat, launched a coordinated operation involving officers from the Special Cases Investigation Department (DSI), Department of Energy Business, Saraburi provincial commerce, tax, and energy officials, along with forensic teams, to inspect fuel operators and address supply shortages. The operation targeted fuel storage facilities across three provinces—Khon Kaen, Samut Sakhon, and Saraburi—at seven critical locations including pipeline transport companies, retail fuel operators, fuel storage management divisions, and storage facilities serving the northeastern region's pipeline distribution network. Authorities discovered irregularities in fuel inventory reports that may indicate hoarding for profit.
Reporters followed the operation to one of seven locations in Sai Yai district, Saraburi, where a pipeline transport company provided full cooperation. Company representatives allowed the inspection team to proceed inside immediately, though media were restricted from entering the office areas. Initial inquiries revealed the pipeline company operates as a contractor for 4-5 major oil companies that own the fuel being transported. Beyond pipeline transport, the facility also handles distribution via oil tanker trucks to gas stations.
Officials requested to examine purchase orders, daily fuel delivery records, daily fuel inventory levels, truck registrations entering the facility to verify entry and exit traffic, transport documentation, CCTV footage, pipeline storage diagrams, and electricity meter data from throughout March, from the Middle East conflict onset through the March 20-25 fuel shortage crisis.
This inspection follows government policy to investigate all 92 fuel storage facilities nationwide. One truck driver from a small gas station in Nakhon Ratchasima reported hauling 32,000 liters of fuel from the facility, requiring approximately four hours of travel, with visits scheduled by the company as needed. Another driver from a Saraburi area station revealed nearly daily 40,000-liter pickups, though during the shortage period, allocations were reduced to 30,000 liters daily.
