Federal officials announced that defendant Carlos A. Garcia pled guilty in connection with the illegal receipt, purchase, and sale of HCFC-22 that had been smuggled into the United States.

The recent announcements about some folks getting caught for illegal HCFC-22 practices raises an interesting question: What impact will this have in producing better servicing procedures to keep enough of the legally obtained refrigerant available for retrofit?

Stephen Yurek, president and CEO of the Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI), has issued a response to what he called “several inaccuracies” in an article that appeared in the New York Times on smuggling of HCFC-22, or R-22, refrigerant.

Stephen Yurek, president and CEO, Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI) responded to what he termed “several inaccuracies” in a Sept. 8, 2012, article in The New York Times on smuggling, primarily from China, of HCFC refrigerant.

An article published in the Sept. 8 edition of the New York Times that discussed R-22 smuggling has prompted a response from the Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI).

The Alliance for Responsible Atmospheric Policy, an industry coalition, said in November 2012 the United States government successfully concluded 11 criminal and civil cases related to HCFC-22 refrigerant smuggling over the last two years.