When your rental car’s fuel gauge is flirting with “E” and your flight boards in 25 minutes, you do not exactly have time to shop around. Michigan’s top cop says one Romulus gas station may have taken full advantage of that panic.
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel has launched a formal investigation into a BP station across from Detroit Metro Airport after state investigators documented pump prices far higher than nearby competitors. A Wayne County judge has already signed off on the Attorney General’s request to pursue civil investigative subpoenas as officials gather evidence. The probe focuses on whether the station exploited rushed travelers returning rental cars by charging grossly excessive prices at the pump.
According to a Michigan Department of Attorney General filing dated June 4, a special agent visited the BP on April 9 and pumped roughly four gallons of gas, paying $20.91 total, or about $5.24 per gallon. The document identifies the business as M‑Twelve Fuels, LLC and lists its address as 9201 Middlebelt Road in Romulus, directly across from a cluster of Detroit Metro rental‑car return lots.
The department says it received more than 16 consumer complaints about the station in 2025 and 2026. Investigators then compared prices using GasBuddy and found nearby stations listing regular gas between $3.79 and $3.99 per gallon, a gap the Attorney General’s office characterizes as a “gross disparity” of roughly 22% to 72% above competitors' for similar gasoline, as reported by ClickOnDetroit.
The petition names William Bazzi as the owner of M‑Twelve Fuels and says the company has not provided any justification for the posted prices, according to the Michigan Department of Attorney General. The filing also flags the station’s location near rental‑car returns, which the AG argues creates a captive audience of time‑pressed travelers with little choice but to pay whatever is on the sign. The Attorney General previously sent a notice of intended action to BP at the same site in December 2023, and local coverage at the time quoted the operator disputing the allegations, per FOX 2 Detroit.
What the law says
Michigan Legislature records show that the state’s Consumer Protection Act makes it unlawful to charge “a price that is grossly in excess of the price at which similar property or services are sold,” language Nessel’s office cited in its petition. The statute authorizes the Attorney General to seek investigative subpoenas and civil remedies when there is probable cause to believe a business has engaged in unfair trade practices.
The court has already granted the AG’s request to proceed, and Nessel’s office is now preparing civil investigative subpoenas as part of the probe, according to ClickOnDetroit. The investigation remains active and could lead to enforcement action if state officials conclude the pricing violated Michigan law. For now, the Attorney General says it wants to review any documents or evidence the station believes justify its rates.
