A woman was caught smuggling 226 dried endangered geckos from Macau to the mainland when she was intercepted by customs officers in Zhuhai last month, according to a Gongbei Customs statement yesterday.
The woman is a mainlander surnamed Ye, the statement said.
According to the statement, the woman entered the mainland carrying two plastic bags through the “nothing to declare” channel at Zhuhai’s Gongbei Customs checkpoint at about 6:31 p.m. on January 20.
Customs officers intercepted her after discovering her trying to avoid the X-ray screening of her bags, and found that one of the two plastic bags she was carrying contained a number of suspected animal products, the statement said, adding that customs officers later confirmed that the total number of the suspected animal products was 226.
Gongbei Customs has recently identified the suspected animal products as dried geckos, the statement said, adding that it is an endangered species, which is listed in Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) and is a Class II protected wild animal, the statement said.
The statement underlined that without the examination and approval by the mainland authorities, all living animals other than dogs and cats are forbidden to be taken or sent by post to the mainland.
This undated handout photo provided by the Gongbei Customs yesterday shows 226 undeclared dried endangered geckos.
