Transboundary trafficking in waste and ozone depleting substances tackled through Operation DEMETER VIII
Operation DEMETER VIII, which took place from 1 to 31 October 2022, gave Customs administrations and their partners an opportunity to demonstrate their commitment to playing their part in the fight against climate change.
The DEMETER Operations, the first edition of which dates back to 2009, are aimed at intercepting illegal shipments of hazardous waste, especially plastic waste, as well as ozone depleting substances (ODS) and hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) that contribute to global warming and environmental degradation.
By using risk indicators and focusing on pre-identified routings and hotspots during Operation DEMETER VIII, Customs officers conducted controls on suspicious shipments and seized illegal waste as well as ODS and other harmful gases. The preliminary results show that 139 seizures were made during the Operation, including 25 tonnes of substances controlled by the Montreal Protocol
Operation DEMETER VIII, the largest in the series with 90 participating Customs administrations, was led by the WCO Secretariat, the Regional Intelligence Liaison Office for Asia/Pacific (RILO A/P) and China Customs, with the assistance of an Operational Coordination Unit based at the RILO A/P in Seoul, Republic of Korea.
In addition, the Operation was supported by the Basel Convention Secretariat, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) OzonAction, the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF), the WCO-United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Container Control Programme, INTERPOL, Europol, the European Union Network for Implementation and Enforcement of Environmental Law (IMPEL), and the WCO RILO network.