ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has seized five trucks carrying smuggled diesel from Iran, officials said on Wednesday.

The Pakistan Coast Guards (PCG) said in a statement that 46,250 liters of diesel were recovered from the Mazda trucks at the Naka Khari check post on the RCD Highway, near Windar in Balochistan province.

Besides oil, other contraband items were confiscated from the trucks. “PCG officials seized contraband items, 2,980 kilograms of betel nut, 560 packets of Indian gutka, 385 packets of naswar and 33 tires of different of vehicles,” the statement read.

The approximate value of all intercepted goods is Rs33.3 million, the PGC said.

Fuel smuggled from Iran is cheaper than the oil sold at gas stations in Pakistan.

While the authorities have been long struggling to stop illegal sales of smuggled fuel, it remains available, especially in Balochistan which borders with Iran.

Amid a crackdown on fuel smugglers, at least 15 people were killed when a truck carrying illegal Iranian oil collided with a passenger bus in Balochistan on Dec. 13.