SPAIN: The Guardia Civil has arrested and charged 97 people allegedly involved in the illegal trade in more than 150 tonnes of R22 refrigerant.
Most of the arrests have taken place in the capital of Gran Canaria, with others in the ports of Zaragoza and Tenerife.

More than 60 officers are said to have been involved in Operation Refresh which commenced in February of this year and included raids on 16 offices and warehouses of various companies and seven vessels of different nationalities. The illegal activities are estimated to have netted in excess of Euro 4m per year.

The website of Spanish newspaper La Provincia reported that investigators stated that a number of companies were supplying R22 to the Russian and Lithuanian fishing fleet. Some refrigerant was also suspected of being acquired for land-based refrigeration systems. The virgin refrigerant was thought to have originated in China.