A haul of about 1,300 items worth about 910,000 patacas, such as cosmetic products and CPUs, were seized in a shop near the Barrier Gate checkpoint on Tuesday after the Macau Customs Service and Public Security Police (PSP) jointly busted an illegal parallel trading racket, the Macau Customs Service said in a statement last night.
According to the statement, a shop owner, three employees of the shop and five parallel traders were arrested.
The statement said that based on intelligence that it had received, the Macau Customs Service identified a shop in Estrada dos Cavaleiros near the Barrier Gate checkpoint as a suspected venue used for storing parallel-trading goods.
After putting the shop under surveillance for a while, noticing suspicious activities, the two security forces on Tuesday decided to raid the suspected parallel-trading den. The statement pointed out that there was “strong evidence” showing that the shop owner illegally hired people as parallel traders and asked them to carry a small quantity of goods each time from Macau to cities in Guangdong province in order to evade customs checks. In Chinese smuggling jargon, this kind of activity is known as “ants moving home” tactics. Parallel traders are known as “water goods travellers” in the jargon.
The statement said that offenders face a fine of up to 50,000 patacas each for breaching the External Trade Law, and all the products have been impounded by the government.
The Custom Service urged residents and non-resident workers not to engage in parallel trading for pecuniary reasons. If anyone sees any suspicious activity, they can call 2896 5001 or email info@customs.gov.mo to report the matter.
This undated handout photo provided by the Macau Customs Service shows the parallel trading goods, including cosmetic products and CPUS, seized on Tuesday.
