The international customs operation JO DEMETER, an intervention coordinated by the World Customs Organization (WCO) to combat the illicit trafficking of waste regulated by the Basel Convention and the illegal trade of substances that deplete the ozone layer, such as ODS and F-GAS, controlled by the Montreal Protocol.
The operation, now in its tenth edition, involved 110 countries, marking a record number of participants. The coordinators included the China Customs Administration and the WCO Regional Intelligence Liaison Office for Asia/Pacific (RILO AP).
In Italy, the controls were managed by the Anti-Fraud Directorate of the Customs and Monopolies Agency, in collaboration with the General Command of the Guardia di Finanza. The investigative activity led to the discovery of serious violations, including:
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473 tons of illegal waste, including ferrous and non-ferrous scrap, electronic waste, vehicles, packaging, textiles and 900 end-of-life tyres;
80 tons of refrigerant gases in violation of the Montreal Protocol.
The violations were detected in various areas of the national territory, including Bari, Brindisi, Gioia Tauro, Genoa, Alessandria, Trieste, Livorno, Ancona, Como, Syracuse and Salerno. The latter is confirmed as a crucial hub for illicit cross-border trafficking.
Operation JO DEMETER has highlighted the global scale of illegal waste trafficking, drawing attention to the need to step up customs controls and strengthen international cooperation.
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