The police of Heyuan City, Guangdong Province, has seized 213 fossil dinosaur eggs and a complete set of dinosaur skeleton during a recent campaign, the Guangzhou Daily News reported. 

According to the report, illegal excavations for dinosaur fossils have been very prevalent in Heyuan since they were first discovered in the city in 1996.

Many local residents illegally possess fossils while some auction companies sell them overseas.

The Guangzhou Daily News report also said a large number of local residents looted dinosaur fossils at a construction site after a construction blast exposed the fossiles in June.

Both the land and culture departments of the government are responsible for protecting the discovered fossils in China. However, the lack of enforcement power of the two departments is the major reason behind the prevalence of illegal excavations.

Chinese scholar Lai Yin also pointed out that China's laws currently do not list the smuggling of fossil under the offense of smuggling, a legal loophole that has attributed to the rampage of fossil smuggling in Heyuan.

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