The Philippine National Police Highway Patrol Group (PNP-HPG) arrested six men and seized approximately 8.9 million pesos worth of petroleum products during an operation in Caloocan City, officials announced Tuesday.

The 16 April operation, which began as a routine anti-carnapping patrol along C3 Road in Barangay 21, led officers to a makeshift garage where the suspects were allegedly handling large quantities of fuel.

Brig. Gen. Rommel Batangan, HPG acting director, said during a briefing at Camp Crame that the raid resulted in the recovery of a fuel tanker containing 10,000 liters of methanol.

Police also seized several steel-cage tanks holding an estimated 8,000 liters of unleaded gasoline, 1,000 liters of premium gasoline, and 1,000 liters of diesel. Fuel hoses and a pump used for transferring the products were also confiscated.

The total estimated value of the seized fuel is P8,942,000.

“Illegal handling and transport of petroleum products pose serious risks to public safety and undermine lawful trade,” Batangan said. “We will continue to intensify our operations to address these violations and ensure accountability.”

The six suspects, all of legal age, are in police custody pending documentation and the filing of criminal charges.