Agency "Customs“ actively participates in the international customs operation KHIONE, directed against the illegal import and trade of fluorinated greenhouse gases. The operation took place under the coordination of the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) between May and October 2024. and involved customs authorities from 16 EU member states as well as Turkey and Ukraine.
This was announced by the "Customs" agency.
Bulgarian customs successfully seized 467.24 kg of fluorinated greenhouse gases on 17 separate occasions. This amount contributed to preventing the equivalent of over 400,000 tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) that would otherwise have entered the atmosphere, undermining the ecological objectives of the European Union.
These are synthetic gases used in industry that have a high potential to cause climate warming – their effect is often thousands of times greater than that of CO2.
These gases include hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), perfluorocarbons (PFCs), sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) and nitrogen trifluoride (NF3).
Operation KHIONE, named after the Greek goddess of snow, aims to uncover and stop complex cross-border networks for the illegal trade in refrigerant gases. The results of the operation show significant success – market losses in the amount of over 4.5 million euros were prevented.
"Through this operation, OLAF and the national customs services have shown that we can effectively disrupt this dangerous trade," said OLAF Director General Ville Itala.
He stressed that joint customs operations are key to protecting both the EU's financial interests and the environment.
"The illegal trade in refrigerant gases not only undermines the EU's environmental goals, but also threatens public safety,”, he added.
The operation involved customs services from Bulgaria, Poland, Latvia, Germany, Slovakia, Hungary, Greece, Estonia, Lithuania, Spain, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands, France, Croatia and Romania, as well as from Turkey and Ukraine.
The success of the operation underlines the importance of close cooperation between European institutions and national authorities to tackle environmental fraud, which often involves complex cross-border networks.