A remarkable trend among smugglers: frying fat is the latest target
In France, six Bulgarian members of a smuggling gang were arrested with a very unusual haul: frying fat. The gang was on its way to the Netherlands with tons of fat, probably to sell it here as biofuel.
Forget weapons, fireworks, drugs, expensive designer clothes and money. Frying fat is now being transported across borders in gigantic quantities. In two months, the smugglers crossed the border around 14 times, carrying a total of 385 tonnes (worth more than €460,000) of frying fat. That’s enough to fry plenty of frikandellen.
French fast-food chains
If you need frying fat, where should you go? Exactly: fast-food chains. That is precisely where the smugglers obtained their haul. The oil was stored in containers at a depot in the French city of Chartres, after which it was transported to the Netherlands via Belgium. Several storage facilities for frying oil were also found in Germany. These greasy practices have now come to an end—for the members of this gang, at least.
Frying fat: hugely popular
Why is frying fat so popular as contraband? In the past, it was a by-product of chip shops and fast-food chains. Something they dumped with the rubbish when it was no longer usable. But now the product is highly sought-after in the biofuel industry. Used frying fat can be turned into biodiesel. This form of recycling is a sustainable alternative to ‘ordinary’ fuel. In our country—in Groningen and Friesland—trains are already running on frying fat too.
Not quite the intention
Several food-service wholesalers have already signed deals with biodiesel producers. They supply used frying fat, which is then turned into biodiesel. Private individuals also have options for handing in the used fat from their deep fryer to biodiesel producers. Now frying oil is also being brought into our country illegally by smugglers. The aim may be sustainable… but this is obviously not quite the intention. It is not known what sentences the smugglers will receive, by the way. Perhaps 1,000 hours working in a chip shop?
Read also:
- Cleaning your deep fryer: here’s how to do it easily and quickly
- That makes a difference: if you do it properly, you can reuse frying oil this many times
- Common deep-frying mistakes
Source: De Telegraaf
