U.S. Man Is First Charged With Smuggling Greenhouse Gases

A California man arrested Monday is the first person ever to be charged with smuggling banned greenhouse gases into the country, authorities announced.

Michael Hart, a 58-year-old San Diego resident, bought banned hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), in Tijuana, Mexico, and snuck them into the U.S. underneath a tarp and tools in the bed of his pickup truck, states a federal indictment filed Feb. 29 and unsealed upon Hart’s apprehension. Hart is also accused of driving HCFC-22, a powerful ozone-depleting substance outlawed since 2020, across the border.

He resold the illegal compounds, which are used in air conditioning and refrigeration systems, for a profit on websites including OfferUp and Facebook Marketplace, according to the indictment.

Read more at The Daily Beast.