Motorists in Northern Ireland had to pay an average of nearly £450 to get their vehicles back this week after being caught using illegal fuel.
A week-long crackdown detected 75 motorists, Customs and Excise said last night.
Police and Customs officers stopped around 1,800 vehicles and the 75 were seized for using illegal fuel. Fines totalling £32,500 were imposed before the vehicles were returned.
Searches in east Belfast and Larne, Co Antrim, area led to the seizure of 7,500 litres of laundered fuel.
Over 500,000 smuggled cigarettes were also seized along with a vehicle carrying fuel and pumping equipment in various parts of the North.
The Customs head of anti-smuggling in Northern Ireland, Mr Colin McAllister, said: "Illegal fuel - whether used commercially or privately - undermines honest filling stations, deprives public services of cash and damages vehicles' engines.
"Cigarette smuggling is putting local shops out of business."
Customs and Excise believes an increase in staff and resources is helping to turn the tide. - (PA)