Romulus BP Price-Gouging Investigation Puts Detroit Airport Gas Prices In The Consumer Ledger

BadPD source-check, June 20, 2026; source dates April 8, June 4, and June 16, 2026: Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel says her office has launched a price-gouging investigation into the BP gas station at 9201 Middlebelt Road in Romulus, near Detroit Metropolitan Airport and rental-car return lots.

The public record is investigative, not final. The Michigan Attorney General announced a Wayne County Circuit Court petition for authority to issue Civil Investigative Subpoenas, and the court granted that authority. That means the state says it has probable cause to investigate whether the station violated the Michigan Consumer Protection Act. It does not mean a court has found liability.

Why This Station Belongs In The Consumer Ledger

The location matters. A gas station near airport rental-car returns can reach travelers who are under time pressure, trying to avoid rental-car refueling charges, or unfamiliar with normal Metro Detroit gas prices. That makes the price record more than a routine pump complaint. If the state’s allegations are supported, the pattern would sit at the intersection of consumer pressure, local market comparisons, airport-adjacent convenience pricing, and a statute that bars charging a price grossly in excess of the price at which similar property or services are sold.

The Attorney General’s June 16 release says the office received complaints in 2025 and 2026 about the Romulus station. The release says an AG investigator visited on April 9, 2026 and bought regular fuel for $5.24 per gallon. It also says GasBuddy showed other Metro Detroit stations selling regular gas for $3.79 to $3.99 per gallon, while AG investigators observed a 22% to 72% gross disparity between the Romulus BP’s posted prices and nearby competitors.

What The Petition Adds

The court petition is the stronger receipt because it gives the case frame and respondent details. The petition is captioned in Wayne County Circuit Court as No. 26-001270-PZ before Judge Edward Ewell Jr. It identifies the respondent as M-Twelve Fuels LLC and says the Romulus BP at 9201 Middlebelt Road is owned by M-Twelve Fuels LLC, with William Bazzi listed as owner in the petition.

The petition says the station is near Detroit Metro Airport and rental-car-return lots. It also says consumers filed more than 16 complaints about elevated prices in 2025 and 2026. The filing describes the April 9 investigator purchase, the $5.24 regular-gas price, and nearby comparison prices. In one example, the petition says a Ford F-150 buyer filling a 36-gallon tank would pay $52.92 more at the Romulus BP than at a listed competitor price, if the price comparison held at that volume.

That number should be treated as the state’s allegation and example, not as a final court finding. The useful accountability question is whether subpoenaed records show a business justification tied to wholesale cost, rent, taxes, staffing, supply disruption, or another documented reason, or whether the pricing was simply exploiting airport-adjacent consumer pressure.

Local Reporting Checks

Spectrum News, ClickOnDetroit, WXYZ, and FOX 2 all add local reporting around the same official frame. Spectrum reported the same 9201 Middlebelt Road station, the court-approved subpoena authority, the 22% to 72% figure, and a prior 2023 state action involving the same station under different ownership. ClickOnDetroit tied the petition to M-Twelve Fuels LLC and William Bazzi and summarized the complaint and rental-car-return context.

WXYZ reported that prices were recently observed as high as $5.99 and said the petition states the AG had not received a respondent explanation justifying the price. WXYZ also reported that prices dropped from $5.99 to $5.24 after the station was visited for the story. FOX 2 reported in April, before the June petition was public, that the station was selling regular gas at $5.25 per gallon credit while AAA’s Michigan average was $3.98 and a nearby station was at $3.79.

Confirmed, Alleged, Pending

Confirmed by official receipts: the Michigan Attorney General announced the investigation on June 16; the petition is dated June 4; the petition identifies M-Twelve Fuels LLC, the Romulus BP address, Wayne County Circuit Court case No. 26-001270-PZ, and requested Civil Investigative Subpoenas; the AG says the court granted authority to issue those subpoenas; the AG release says an investigator purchased regular gas for $5.24 per gallon on April 9.

Alleged or investigative: the claim that the prices were grossly excessive under the Michigan Consumer Protection Act, the 22% to 72% disparity analysis, the consumer complaint examples, and any inference about intent or unjustified pricing remain allegations and investigative claims. The respondent has not been shown in the source trail to have had a full court-tested opportunity to answer the state’s evidence.

Pending records: the signed court order, Civil Investigative Subpoenas, subpoena returns, station pricing records, wholesale fuel-cost records, rent and overhead justification, complaint files, price-history data, ownership or lease documents, any AG settlement demand, refund plan, civil penalties, or final enforcement action.

BadPD Bottom Line

This is a clean Michigan consumer-accountability lead because it has a primary AG release, a court petition, multiple local reports, and a narrow public-service question: were airport-area consumers charged an unjustified premium at the pump, or can the station produce records that explain the price spread?

BadPD is not telling consumers how to file a legal claim or offering legal advice. The practical next step is records-based: watch the subpoena returns, any owner response, and any settlement or enforcement filing, then update the ledger when the state moves from probable-cause investigation to documented proof, dismissal, settlement, or court-tested liability.

Source Trail

• Michigan Attorney General: AG Nessel Launches Price-Gouging Investigation into Romulus BP Gas Station (June 16, 2026) – Primary official release announcing the investigation, court-authorized subpoena authority, complaints, April 9 investigator purchase, and alleged 22% to 72% price disparity.
• Michigan Attorney General petition PDF: In re M-Twelve Fuels LLC (June 4, 2026) – Primary court filing identifying Wayne County Circuit Court case No. 26-001270-PZ, M-Twelve Fuels LLC, the 9201 Middlebelt Road station, complaint examples, and requested civil investigative subpoenas.
• Spectrum News 1 Michigan: Romulus BP under price-gouging investigation (June 16, 2026) – Local report with station location, price comparisons, 2023 prior-investigation context, and owner-comment status.
• WDIV ClickOnDetroit: AG says Romulus gas station near Detroit Metro Airport under investigation (June 16, 2026) – Local report summarizing the AG filing, M-Twelve Fuels/William Bazzi references, rental-car-lot context, and court authorization for subpoenas.
• WXYZ Detroit: Michigan AG investigates BP gas station near DTW for price gouging (June 16, 2026) – Local TV report with observed price context, petition details, respondent-response status in the petition, and later price-move observation.
• FOX 2 Detroit: Gas prices surge at station in Romulus near Metro Airport (April 8, 2026) – Earlier local context showing the station price problem before the June AG petition became public, with nearby-station comparison and owner-comment status.