A joint operation by the Tax Agency and the Guardia Civil

• In the operation, called 'Orejona-Flúor', seven people have been arrested, a total of 170 cylinders, 20,600 euros in cash, extensive documentation and computer information storage equipment have been seized.
• The organization imported the cylinders from China and Türkiye and introduced them into Spain from Portugal
• The now dismantled organization is charged with the crime of belonging to a criminal organization, Crime against the Environment and Natural Resources, Fraud against the Public Treasury and Contraband.

November 3, 2022.- Customs Surveillance of the Tax Agency and the Civil Guard, in a joint operation called 'Orejona-Flúor', have dismantled an international criminal organization based in Seville that is was dedicated to the illicit trade between Portugal and Spain in cylinders of fluorinated greenhouse gases from China and Turkey.

The investigation, which began in June, led to the detection that several members of the organization regularly traveled to Portugal in order to introduce illegal fluorinated gas cylinders into Spain throughout the European Union, after importing them from countries such as China and Turkey.

These goods are considered prohibited merchandise for the purposes of regulations on smuggling. Likewise, and in parallel, the organization also clandestinely introduced legally commercial cylinders, not subject to the tax that is levied on them in Spain in Portugal, thus committing fraud on the Spanish Public Treasury.

The organization used for its distribution a property located in Portugal where it stored a large number of cylinders that were later introduced into Spain in the trunks of cars and vans destined for an entire network of shops, workshops and air conditioning premises, or even directly for sale to workers related to the air conditioning assembly activity.

Entries and records

The exploitation of the operation occurred on September 22, when four entries and home searches were carried out simultaneously in the Pino Montano neighborhood of Seville and in the Hytasa industrial estate. In parallel, ten premises are inspected, distributed among automotive workshops, air conditioning companies and hardware stores, located in the provinces of Seville, Cádiz, Córdoba and Huelva. These premises were the recipients of the illegal refrigerant gas bottles.

Given the international nature of the operation, inspection actions were carried out, with the collaboration of the Portuguese authorities and Europol, in a warehouse located in Portugal that was closely related to the plot of introduction into Portuguese territory of cylinders later clandestinely transported to Spain for its distribution.

As a result of the investigations and after the exploitation of the operation, seven people were arrested, a large number of fluorinated gas cylinders were seized for non-compliance with the corresponding regulations, and 170 smuggled cylinders were seized for having the consideration of a prohibited genre or for not proving its legal origin. In addition, 20,610 euros in cash, eight mobile phones, four storage devices and various documentation related to the investigation were seized.

In the searches and inspections carried out, officials from the Customs Surveillance Operational Unit of Seville and Civil Guard agents from the Pacprona-Ucoma group have participated, under the direction of the head of court number 16 of Seville, with the support of agents from the Usesic and the Cynological group of the Civil Guard of Seville, as well as Europol operatives and agents of the Portuguese GNR. Investigations remain open.