China has investigated more than 90,000 smuggling cases valued at nearly 200 billion yuan (US$24.2 billion) during the period between 1998 and 2003, Sheng Guangzu, deputy director of the General Administration of Customs announced Tuesday.

These cases were uncovered by the departments with the Customs and the Ministry of Public Security, said Sheng.

During the same period, the State Administration for Industry and Commerce cracked down on more than 30,000 smuggling cases valued at more than 7 billion yuan.

From 1999 to 2003, the Customs anti-smuggling police punished 18,046 smuggling suspects, among whom 9,719 were transferred to the procuratorial departments, Sheng said. During the January-September period this year, customs have investigated some 13,800 smuggling cases, including some 7,000 criminal cases. Among them, 1,173 have been arrested and 1,273 transferred to procuratorial departments.

The Chinese government launched the nationwide campaign to fight against smuggling crimes since 1998.

(Xinhua News Agency October 26, 2004)