[53256] Heavy punishment: 12 convicted in organized oil theft case in Semnan Province, Iran

15 years in prison for leaders of an oil theft gang in Iran

The Iranian judiciary has completed handling the case of organized theft of petroleum products in Semnan Province. According to the report by آخرین خبر, the court handed down heavy prison sentences to 12 gang members involved in breaking into oil pipelines in the Eyvanki and Aradan regions. The leaders of the organization were sentenced to 15 years of actual imprisonment for a series of offenses including "سردسته گروه مجرمانه سازمان‌یافته" (leading an organized criminal group) and armed robbery, while ten other accomplices were sentenced to prison terms ranging from 3 to 10 years.

The channel حوادث فوری ⚠️, which focuses on criminal reports, detailed that the investigation began following reports from residents about suspicious activity. According to the findings, the gang operated between the months of August and February 2020, using violent means to destroy infrastructure and create pirate branches in the oil pipelines – including those not in active use.

Beyond the prison sentences and lashes, a collective fine was imposed on the convicted for the restitution of the stolen property. According to both reporting sources, the convicted must jointly return 421,684 liters of stolen petroleum products. It should be noted that this is a case that received special attention due to its damage to Iran's national economic infrastructure, and the verdict has even been confirmed by the Supreme Court and now stands at the execution stage.