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PA FREON SEIZED IN SEARCH OF HOUSTON WAREHOUSE

Release Date: 08/09/96
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PA FREON SEIZED IN SEARCH OF HOUSTON WAREHOUSE

FOR RELEASE: FRIDAY, AUGUST 9, 1996

FREON SEIZED IN SEARCH OF HOUSTON WAREHOUSE

On July 29, 420 pounds of the refrigerant CFC-12, commonly know as Freon, were seized by federal agents from a wholesale auto supply company warehouse in southwest Houston, Texas. Acting on information that Freon was being shipped, federal agents observed an individual pick up seven cases of Freon in north Houston. The individual then delivered the Freon to the auto supply company where the shipment was divided for further distribution to local auto parts stores. However, before it could be shipped, the Freon which was worth an estimated $10,000 was seized. Evidence gathered during the search indicated that the Freon, which had been manufactured in Monterrey, Mexico, had been recently smuggled into Texas through the Brownsville area. A number of illegal shipments of Freon have been intercepted at Brownsville, Del Rio and Laredo, Texas, as part of a federal effort to prevent the smuggling of Freon into the United States from Mexico. Freon, which is used in the air conditioners of pre-1994 vehicles and other older model refrigeration units, is highly regulated and its use is being phased out because of its damage to the ozone layer. The case was investigated by EPA's Criminal Investigation Division and Agents of the U.S. Customs Service.

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