Hong Kong intercepts US-bound refrigerant shipment

HONG KONG: Customs officers have intercepted a shipment of refrigerant being smuggled from Hong Kong to the USA.

Based on intelligence analysis and risk assessment, Hong Kong customs intercepted the US-bound shipment at the Kwai Chung container terminal on July 9. The shipment in two containers was declared as containing low-valued goods such as carpets and storage bags.

According to the South China Morning Post, the haul totalled 2,560 cylinders of refrigerant and was destined for the port of Long Beach, California.

Photographs indicate that the haul included a range of refrigerants, including R134a R404A, R407A, R407C and R410A, as well as ozone-depleting refrigerant R22, which is banned in the USA and elsewhere.