Special Report: In Brazil, organized crime siphons billions from gas stations

Disir

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Sep 30, 2011
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Travel across Brazil and you’ll spot signs almost everywhere for BR Distribuidora, the owner of South America’s largest gas station chain. The familiar green-and-yellow logo of the company, formerly a unit of state oil giant Petrobras, is a fixture in big cities and hamlets alike.

Less well-known is BR’s effort to purge its retail network of alleged crooks. In 2019, the company booted hundreds of independent franchisees from its network for purported “irregularities,” a BR spokesman told Reuters, including evading fuel taxes and ripping off customers with adulterated gasoline. In all, BR stripped its name from 730 outlets, roughly 10% of its Brazilian network at the time, the company said.

But other suspected criminals continue to operate BR stations, Reuters has found. A major franchisee in the state of Rio de Janeiro, for example, has been indicted by state prosecutors at least 12 times for fuel-related crimes over the past 15 years and is currently on trial for his alleged participation in a sprawling fuel-smuggling ring, according to court documents reviewed by Reuters. He has not been convicted in any of the court cases examined by the news agency.

Jeezus. How the hell did that go down? You've been here 11 times and now........we really, really mean it?
 

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