Sixteen Indicted in Kentucky for Importing Illegal CFC Refrigerants
On March 12, the Kentucky Commonwealth Attorney's Office filed a 167-count indictment in Louisville against 16 individuals, alleging that they were involved in the theft and sale of chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) refrigerants in several states.
The CFC refrigerants were allegedly stolen from Louisville Packaging Co., in Louisville, Ky., transported to a farm in Henry County, Ky., repackaged and sold to distributors who, in turn, sold them to customers in several states. The importation and sale of CFC refrigerants is highly restricted in the United States, because the airborne release of CFCs damages the earth's ozone layer, which protects people from ultraviolet radiation, a potential cause of skin cancer and cataracts.