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PA FREON SMUGGLER'S FROM COSTA RICA IS FIRST FOR ENV. LAW ENF

Release Date: 06/14/96
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PA FREON SMUGGLER'S FROM COSTA RICA IS FIRST FOR ENV. LAW ENF

FOR RELEASE: FRIDAY, JUNE 14, 1996

FREON SMUGGLER'S EXTRADITION FROM COSTA RICA IS FIRST EVER FOR ENVIRONMENTAL LAW ENFORCEMENT

On June 12, working in conjunction with officials from the US. Marshals Service, U.S. Customs, the Internal Revenue Service, INTERPOL and Costa Rican authorities EPA accomplished the first ever extradition of an individual charged with environmental crimes in the United States. The suspect, Bruce R. Burrell, was returned to Florida from Costa Rica where he was residing. Burrell was arrested in Costa Rica in December 1995 based on an outstanding arrest warrant issued subsequent to his being indicted for criminal violations of a number of United States statutes including the Clean Air Act, smuggling, obstruction of justice, conspiracy, money laundering and tax evasion. Burrell had been indicted on 70 counts of violating federal laws in September 1995 including the illegal importation of freon (specifically CFC-12) which is a highly controlled ozonedepleting chemical used in air conditioning and refrigeration. Burrell and co-defendant Kersi Raja were charged with conspiracy to import over 19,000 thirty pound cylinders of CFC-12 into the United States for purposes of domestic commerce without the required permits and without paying necessary import taxes. In addition, they also allegedly attempted to obstruct the investigation of their activities by asking witnesses to give false statements to investigators. If convicted on all counts, Burrell and his co-defendant face up to a maximum of 700 years incarceration and over $28 million in fines. The case was investigated by EPA's Criminal Investigation Division, the U.S. Customs Service and the Internal Revenue Service.

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