Archiveless Gomiuri Shimbun
A member of the Yamaguchi-gumi affiliated crime organization has told police that smuggling chlorofluorocarbons is creating huge profits and is a major source of revenue for the crime syndicate, Fukuoka prefectural police said Monday.
The smuggling of CFCs goes against an 1987 international accord signed by Japan, which limits the production and importation of CFCs into advanced nations.
It was the first inkling police had had that smuggling CFCs was a lucrative business for a criminal organization.
Li Kenpo, 36, of no fixed address, was arrested in November on suspicion of smuggling about 60,000 metal cylinders, each containing 250 grams of CFC-12, from Tsingtao, China, in July, and making profits of about 100 million yen.
Two traders were also arrested as accomplices. They reportedly told the police Li brought them in on the deal and together they sold CFC for use in automobile air conditioners, the police said.
The police considered Li the ringleader and questioned him about the money flow. Li reportedly said he took over the CFC smuggling operation from his predecessor in the gang.
According to the police, the cylinders cost 100 yen each in China. A car parts trader, 61, in Fukuoka, who was released without charge, sold 54,000 cylinders out of a total of 60,000, for 1,900 yen each to garages in Hokkaido, Kanagawa, Okayama and other prefectures. The cylinders were sold to consumers for about 3,000 yen each.
