Salerno, 13 tons of illegal refrigerant gas seized

A shipment of 13.6 tons of illegal refrigerant gas coming from China and headed to the province of Salerno was seized by the Guardia di Finanza of Treviso , in an operation that shed light on a complex international traffic of highly polluting substances banned throughout the European Union .

The sequestered fluorinated gas , belonging to the category of F-greenhouse gases, is banned in its pure form for environmental reasons: its diffusion contributes to global warming .

The gas was hidden inside a Polish truck that had left from Slovakia . The official documentation indicated the port of Dunkirk , in France , as the final destination, from where it would then be “shipped” to the United Arab Emirates . However, thanks to cross-checks, the Treviso Guardia di Finanza discovered that the real final destination was a location in the province of Salerno .

The investigative intervention that led to the analysis of the driver's satellite navigator , where the Salerno address had been stored, was fundamental, revealing the true route of the load.

According to the investigations, the refrigerant gas – if placed on the market – would have generated over a million euros , being intended for illegal sale to technicians and installers in the refrigeration and air conditioning sector operating in the province of Salerno .

This substance, although still used in some parts of the world, is banned throughout the EU due to its extremely high polluting potential , being up to thousands of times more harmful than CO₂.

The illicit trafficking of fluorinated gases represents both an environmental and health threat , as the uncontrolled release of these compounds can alter the climate and put at risk the safety of plants and operators who handle them without the necessary precautions.

The operation by the Guardia di Finanza is part of a broader framework of strengthened customs and environmental controls , aimed at countering the clandestine trade of prohibited substances in the European Union.