Illegal refrigerant seized in buffer zone

Three dozen boxes of refrigerant gas were seized by authorities in the buffer zone on Tuesday, with police saying the illegal goods had been stashed away in a remote area near Potamia village.

According to police, officers from Nicosia district’s Pera Chorio went with United Nations peacekeepers to a remote area in the buffer zone, near Potamia village, where they seized 35 boxes of sealed canisters containing refrigerant gas.

Police said they acted after evaluating a tip but did not provide details about the canisters, except to say they were all brand new, weighing between 11 and 13 kilos.

A photo from another outlet showed 35 boxes containing what appeared to be 12Kg canisters with the gas, including R134a, used in a variety of refrigeration applications, such as air conditioning systems for certain automobiles and homes.

While the European Union has banned some types of man-made chemicals used for cooling, it has not banned R143a in mobile air-conditioning as long as its use does not exceed a set limit of 150 GWP (Global Warming Potential).

But police told Knews the sale of any goods or substances, whether banned or otherwise permitted within the Republic of Cyprus, is illegal if Green Line regulations are violated.

The Green Line regulation provides terms and conditions for commercial goods to cross the buffer zone from north to south on the divided island.

Police in the south have routinely targeted illegal trade in the buffer zone, seizing goods including tobacco products recently coming from the north, where prices are cheaper.