Gabriel Daraban, the former commercial director of Oil Terminal, was detained on Thursday night by prosecutors from the Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT), Digi24 reported.
Investigators allege that a criminal group smuggled 66,000 tons of fuel into Romania through the Port of Constanța using falsified documents, causing an estimated state budget prejudice.
The raids and subsequent detentions increase the scale of a widespread probe into tax evasion and organized crime within Romania's primary petroleum logistics sector. Daraban tendered his resignation on November 12, just one day prior to the synchronized law enforcement descents, according to HotNews.ro.
Law enforcement teams executed 46 searches across Bucharest and five counties—including Constanța, Bacău, Prahova, Galați, and Ilfov—targeting commercial entities and individuals suspected of orchestrating the complex customs fraud, tvrinfo.ro reported. Alongside Daraban, investigators detained businessman Gheorghe Chealfă, who operates within the petroleum sector, as G4Media noted.
The sweep also drew in public officials and financial employees. According to : Europa FM, those targeted by the inquiry include the head of the Constanța Customs Bureau, customs inspectors from the same county, the head of the tax inspection within ANAF Bacău, and employees from CEC Bank in Bucharest.
Criminal network used foreign entities to bypass petroleum taxes
Prosecutors state that the criminal network was established in 2023 to bypass excise duties and value-added tax on petroleum products. The scheme relied on two foreign export entities: Euronova Energies SA based in Switzerland and Alkagesta LTD based in Malta, tvrinfo.ro reported.
G4Media reported that Daraban specifically faced accusations of allowing the release of nearly 67,000 tons of diesel valued at 245 million lei through 138 import customs declarations without proper verification of the flow.
DIICOT prosecutor Mihaela Porime explained the core evasion tactic during the proceedings.
“The main tax evasion mechanism consisted of the artificial interposition of an insolvent company between the company that ensured the supply of diesel and the one that sold the products to the final beneficiaries. The interposed company issued invoices for unreal operations, used for the illegal deduction of value added tax,” Porime said, as cited by Digi24.
Disproving Russian Provenance
Early public speculation suggested that the intercepted petroleum originated from the Russian Federation, given the timing following EU sanctions tied to the war in Ukraine. However, DIICOT issued an official clarification to dispel that narrative.
DIICOT said that evidence gathered so far does not indicate that the diesel originated from distributors located in the Russian Federation. The investigation focuses primarily on the circumvention of tax obligations, specifically VAT and excise duties, by the commercial entities involved in the illicit circuit, : Europa FM reported.
Oil Terminal cooperates while prosecutors place individuals under judicial control
Oil Terminal issued an official statement emphasizing that the company holds no procedural quality as a defendant in the criminal case. The enterprise confirmed it has fully cooperated with authorities since November 2025 by providing all requested documents to clarify the facts, tvrinfo.ro reported.
Following the overnight hearings, prosecutors placed 40 individuals under judicial control for a period of 60 days. Meanwhile, Gabriel Daraban and Gheorghe Chealfă were detained for 24 hours and scheduled to face judges for preventive arrest determinations, G4Media reported.
Who is Gabriel Daraban and what is the alleged smuggling damage?
Who is Gabriel Daraban and what was his role at Oil Terminal?
Gabriel Daraban served as the commercial director of Oil Terminal before resigning on November 12, just one day prior to DIICOT’s nationwide searches, HotNews.ro reported. Prosecutors accuse him of permitting the unverified release of tens of thousands of tons of diesel from the company’s customs warehouse.
What financial damage has the alleged smuggling network caused?
Investigators estimate the state budget prejudice in this case is over 80 million lei, according to the prosecutor’s office.
Which financial and customs institutions are implicated in the probe?
The investigation targets the head of the Constanța Customs Bureau, local customs inspectors, the head of the tax inspection from ANAF Bacău, and employees from CEC Bank in Bucharest, according to judicial sources cited by : Europa FM.