Former Florida Man Sentenced for Illegally Importing Refrigerant From China

Jorge Murrillo, former Miami resident, was sentenced to 15 months in prison for conspiring to violate the Clean Air Act by importing illegal hydrochlorofluorocarbon-22 (HCFC-22) from China, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida announced Oct. 5. Murillo imported over 300,000 kilograms of HCFC-22, a popular refrigerant for residential heat pump and air conditioning systems, worth over $1.5 million. He also was ordered to pay $5,794.84 in restitution for costs associated with storing the merchandise.

The defendant negotiated with a Chinese manufacturer for large quantities of HCFC-22 then imported them into South Florida to be sold on the black market, the U.S. Attorney's Office said. Neither Murrillo nor his company nor his associates hold unexpended consumption allowances that would have permitted the import of the merchandise. From June to August 2007, Murillo conspired to or actually smuggled around 309,536 kilograms into the U.S. He was arrested in May.