Italian authorities seize 24 tonnes of illegal F-gas
16th February 2026
ITALY: Police and customs officers have seized illegal F-gas refrigerant, with an estimated market value of €463,200, at the Port of Venice.
The seizure comprised 1,100 cylinders of R134A gas and 300 cylinders of R410A, weighing over 24 tonnes. The gas was being imported without quota as required by the European F-gas regulation. In addition, the cylinders were not correctly labelled as required by the provisions of Article 12 of the regulation.
The seizure was the result of a major operation involving staff from the Italian customs and monopolies agency, ADM, in collaboration with the Guardia di Finanza, financial police.
Italy has been a hotspot for the black market trade, both as a consumer and as one of the main transit countries, since the implementation of the F-gas phase down.
In 2022, it was reported that 27% of all companies reporting illegal activities to the EU’s F-gas registry were from Italy.
Concerned industry associations estimate that as much as 1,250 tonnes, nearly half of the refrigerant gas available on the Italian market, is illegal material.
Authorities in Italy have been very active in attempts to stem the tide of illegal material, and with some success. A recent agreement to co-ordinate surveillance and combat the illegal trade in F-gases was formalised the establishment of a roundtable between Italy’s Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security (MASE), the Customs and Monopolies Agency (ADM), and the Command of the Forest, Environmental and Agri-food (CUFAA), a specialised unit of the Italian police force.
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