Sixty-six thousand tonnes of petroleum products entered Romania through the Port of Constanța using false documents, generating a state loss of over 80 de milioane de lei, Digi24 reported.
Police and prosecutors carried out 46 raids on Thursday across Bucharest and five counties in a corruption investigation targeting fuel smuggling and tax evasion, according to News.ro.
The raids spanned the municipality of Bucharest and the counties of Constanța, Bacău, Prahova, Galați, and Ilfov, conducted by police from the Organized Crime Directorate and the Economic and Financial Crime Investigation Brigade within D.G.P.M.B., alongside support from the Constanța, Bacău, and Galați organized crime brigades and special intervention and mobile gendarmerie units from Bacău and Constanța.
Investigators examined suspected tax evasion networks and the individuals behind the operation, including Gabriel Daraban, the former commercial director of Oil Terminal.
Daraban resigned from his post one day before the raids, as G4Media reported. He was detained late Thursday by prosecutors from the Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT).
Constanța Port Raids
The criminal group operated through multiple companies using fictitious invoices and unreal commercial operations to avoid paying taxes and duties on diesel and gasoline trade, prosecutors stated. The investigation covers tax evasion, illegal acquisition of funds, fraud, public procurement fraud, and abuse of office.
News.ro said that the total prejudice exceeds 100 de milioane de lei. The operation involved bank financing secured through 12 credit contracts worth over 41 million lei, with assistance from credit analysts and committee members.
Among those targeted by the inquiry are customs inspectors, the head of the Constanța Customs Bureau, the head of the fiscal inspection within ANAF Bacău, and employees of CEC Bank, according to News.ro. G4Media reported that 40 people were placed under judicial control for 60 days, while Daraban and businessman Gheorghe Chealfă were detained for 24 hours.
DIICOT Fuel Origin Clarification
Judicial sources initially indicated that the smuggled petrol originated in the Russian Federation, according to G4Media. DIICOT subsequently issued a clarification regarding the energy products.
“Având în vedere anumite informații apărute în spațiul public cu privire la proveniența produselor energetice tranzacționate de către membrii grupării de criminalitate organizată implicați în săvârșirea infracțiunilor de evaziune fiscală, obținere ilegală de fonduri, înșelăciune, deturnarea licitațiilor publice și abuz în serviciu, facem precizarea că din probele administrate până în prezent nu a rezultat faptul că produsul accizabil (motorina) ar proveni de la distribuitori localizați în Federația Rusă,” DIICOT said.
Prosecutors explained that the core tax evasion mechanism involved interposing an insolvent company between the fuel supplier and the final beneficiaries to illegally deduct value-added tax.
“Principalul mecanism de evaziune fiscală a constat în interpunerea artificială a unei societăți aflate în insolvență între firma care asigura aprovizionarea cu motorină și cea care comercializa produsele către beneficiarii finali,” Mihaela Porime told Digi24.
Oil Terminal and Romanian Customs Authority Respond to the Case
Oil Terminal representatives said that the company holds no procedural quality in the criminal case and provided all requested documents starting in November 2025 to support the investigation, as Digi24 reported.
The Romanian Customs Authority released a statement regarding the Constanța Customs involvement. “Toleranță zero față de acțiunile care aduc atingere intereselor României,” the institution conveyed to G4Media.
Who Is Gabriel Daraban and What Are the Damages?
Who is Gabriel Daraban?
Gabriel Daraban is the brother of Mihai Daraban, the president of the Romanian Chamber of Commerce and Industry. He was detained by DIICOT on Thursday, November 12, 2026, according to NewsCenter.ro.
What was the total financial damage estimated by authorities?
News.ro reported that the total prejudice caused in the case exceeds 100 de milioane de lei, while Digi24 noted an initial state loss calculation of over 80 de milioane de lei resulting from 66,000 tonnes of petroleum introduced with false documents.
Which institutions were implicated in the smuggling network?
Prosecutors targeted officials from Oil Terminal Constanța, the Constanța Customs Bureau, ANAF Bacău fiscal inspection, and CEC Bank employees, alongside various commercial companies, according to News.ro and G4Media.
Related reading