Spanish police bust F-gas smuggling ring
14th February 2026
SPAIN: Authorities in Spain have arrested 10 people after uncovering and dismantling a criminal organisation responsible for the illegal trade of more than 15 tonnes of F-gases.
A further 17 people are under investigation after swoops by the Guardia Civil in the provinces of Cuenca, Málaga, Madrid, Toledo, Ciudad Real, Sevilla, Jaén, Valencia, Cádiz and Córdoba.
The investigation, dubbed Gasmot, was launched by the Guardia Civil’s nature protection service SEPRONA, after discovering that a resident of the province of Cuenca was illegally selling fluorinated gases on a “well-known” internet website.
Following investigations, it was confirmed that this individual was part of a wider criminal organisation dedicated to the illicit trade of refrigerants.
The gas, which appears to have involved a wide range of refrigerants, including R32, R410A and R404A, is said to have mainly originated from China and was smuggled and distributed illegally within the European Union through Morocco, Turkey, and other Western European countries.
The police report states: “The gang introduced the gases into the market using unauthorised containers intended to conceal the product’s illicit origin, circumventing the annual import and manufacturing quotas set by the European Union and its trade regulations. Furthermore, they evaded paying national taxes on fluorinated gases, as well as the corresponding VAT.”
It was found that the criminal network had sold more than 15 tonnes of illegal refrigerant, garnering more than €500,000 and evading the payment of taxes worth another half million.
During the final phase of the operation, eight raids were carried out on various homes and businesses located in the provinces of Cuenca, Toledo, Ciudad Real, and Málaga. A total of 1,000 containers of F-gas, 2,500kg of the gas itself, €12,500 in cash, and various computer and mobile phone equipment were also seized.
The detainees and those under investigation are allegedly linked to participation in crimes against natural resources and the environment, against the public treasury, smuggling, document forgery, money laundering, against intellectual and industrial property and the crime of criminal organisation.
