Petroleum Smuggling British Navy

Petroleum Smuggling

The British navy intercepted 7 ships smuggling petroleum out of southern Iraq to the Persian Gulf, according to al-Zaman. Smuggling reduces the country’s ability to produce electricity and the availability to Iraqis of fuel. Such shortages provoked heavy rioting in Basra last month. Meantime, a Coalition spokesman expressed confidence that the new Iraqi legal system was capable of dealing with smugglers.