Illegal refrigerant gases, which have been banned for their climate-wrecking impact, are still being smuggled into Europe, the London-based Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) has warned.

The EIA first uncovered a widespread European illegal trade in hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) gases five years ago, but a new investigation has revealed that significant levels of trafficking persist despite worsening climate change.

Commonly used in refrigeration and air conditioning, HFCs are being phased out under the European Union’s F-gas regulation.

But the EIA said that organised criminals attracted by high profits are taking advantage of weak law enforcement to meet the demand left by the transition away from the harmful gases. Their investigation also found evidence that black market traders and traffickers are becoming more sophisticated and adapting their tactics to evade detection.

The 1989 Montreal Protocol, signed by 198 countries, mandated phasing out the production of numerous substances...