More than 3,000 counterfeit refrigerant cylinders seized in the UAE

DuPont Refrigerants worked with law enforcement in the UAE, playing an instrumental role in a seizure of counterfeit DuPont SUVA refrigerants in Sharjah, the company revealed in a press communiqué. The company explained the sequence of event: It became aware of the counterfeit refrigerant goods sold and stored in Sharjah by Sunrise Air Conditioning Spare Parts Trading Co, through a preventive programme of the Dubai Department of Economic Development (DDED). Inspectors from the Sharjah Department of Economic Development (SDED) reportedly alerted a DuPont representative in the UAE of a third-party complaint filed against Sunrise. Based on this, DuPont and the SDED jointly worked to determine if the refrigerants being stored by the trader and bearing the company’s brand name were genuine DuPont refrigerant products. When investigation confirmed that they were, indeed, counterfeit refrigerant cylinders carrying the trademarks DUPONT™ and SUVA® as well as trademarks of another major manufacturer, a seizure was conducted and resulted in confiscation of 3,100 units of fake DuPont SUVA 134a refrigerants and 6,000 units of a fake product from another manufacturer. The seized goods were stored and guarded at Sunrise facilities by guards employed by DuPont, under the authority of local law enforcement.

Sunrise was subsequently required to a pay a fine to the UAE Government for the crime, and was required to make additional payments to cover costs related to storage of the seized goods, painting and repackaging the cylinders without the DuPont trademarks and to exporting them as unbranded refrigerant. The trader is no longer in business, the report added.

DuPont revealed that it has developed a multi-faceted programme to address counterfeit refrigerants, including education of customs officials and deployment of overt and covert tactics to ensure the authenticity of its refrigerants.

Speaking against the backdrop of the events, Greg Rubin, Global Business Manager, DuPont Refrigerants, said: “We are approaching the problem of counterfeit refrigerants very aggressively. Counterfeit refrigerants can cause significant business impact, including equipment failure and, more importantly, can cause physical harm or loss of life.”