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Customs authorities throughout China cracked 10,091 smuggling cases and seized goods worth 4.74 billion yuan (US$571 million) in the first 10 months of the year, following an intense national anti-smuggling drive, says Friday's China Daily.
Although the illegal goods seized were 6 per cent more than those in the same period last year, the cases uncovered were down more than 32 per cent, according to the latest reports released yesterday by the General Administration of Customs (GAC).
During the January to October period, GAC arrested 3,279 smuggling suspects, while placing 1,228 cases with smuggled goods - worth more than 6 billion yuan (US$722 million) - on record.
The number of investigated cases, value of the seized contraband and suspects decreased 13 per cent, 17 per cent and 10 per cent respectively, GAC's statistics indicated.
In October alone, customs authorities smashed 1,005 smuggling cases, worth 292 million yuan (US$35.1 million), and 293 suspects were detained, believed to be involved in 85 cases with contraband valued at 322 million yuan (US$35.1 million).
As part of its increased efforts to battle land and maritime smuggling, GAC yesterday launched an anti-smuggling operation in the Beibu Gulf in the northern part of the North Sea, sources with GAC confirmed.
More than 300 well-trained anti-smuggling police - China's major force fighting against the once rampant smugglers - took part in the practice, the largest of its kind held by GAC.
(Xinhua News Agency November 23, 2001)
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