In a first, a California man was charged with sneaking banned gases, used in outdated fridges and air-conditioners, into the United States.
The unusual contraband is sold on Craigslist and Facebook for hundreds of dollars: canisters of a banned refrigerant, for use in outdated refrigerators and air-conditioners, that is also a potent planet-warming gas. buy car refrigerator 2
On Monday, a California man became the first in the nation to be arrested and charged with smuggling the powerful gases into the United States, a felony offense, according to the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California.
Michael Hart, 58, of San Diego, is accused of buying coolants in Mexico and smuggling them over the border in his vehicle, concealing the canisters under a tarp and tools. Mr. Hart then posted the refrigerants for sale on OfferUp, Facebook Marketplace and other sites, and sold them for a profit, federal agents say.
Mr. Hart pleaded not guilty. He faces charges of conspiracy, importation contrary to law and sale of merchandise imported contrary to law. Attempts to reach lawyers for Mr. Hart were unsuccessful.
“This is the first time the Department of Justice is prosecuting someone for illegally importing greenhouse gases, and it will not be the last,” Tara McGrath, a U.S. attorney, said in a statement. “We are using every means possible to protect our planet from the harm caused by toxic pollutants, including bringing criminal charges.”
The refrigerant gases in question, called hydrofluorocarbons, or HFCs, came into use in the 1990s to replace a different kind of coolant that was depleting the ozone layer, the part of the earth’s atmosphere that protects life from harmful portions of solar radiation. But scientists found that HFCs can warm the planet hundreds or even thousands of times as much as carbon dioxide, driving climate change.
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