Zhuhai’s Jiuzhou Customs announced in a statement yesterday that a woman attempted to smuggle 18 shark fins into the mainland via the Zhuhai Jiuzhou checkpoint.
According to the statement, during a routine entry passenger inspection on June 26, customs officers detected anomalies in the X-ray scan of a female traveller’s luggage in the “Green Channel.” A physical search revealed 18 shark fins totalling 1.55 kilograms concealed in her suitcase.
The statement said that on July 9, the Gongbei Customs Technology Centre identified the confiscated fins as products of Prionace glauca (Blue Shark) and Carcharhinus obscurus (Dusky Shark) – both Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) Appendix II-listed species requiring international trade permits – with offenders facing up to 3 years’ imprisonment under the nation’s wildlife protection laws.
In the statement, Jiuzhou Customs reminded the public that according to CITES and the Wildlife Protection Law of the People’s Republic of China (PRC), as well as the regulations on the import and export of endangered wild animals and plants, it is prohibited to trade, carry, or mail endangered species and their products across border checkpoints without legal import and export certificates. The statement noted that serious violations may lead to criminal liability.
Meanwhile, according to a separate statement, Zhuhai’s Gongbei Customs has announced that a passenger attempted to smuggle nine boxes containing 126 trading cards into the mainland via the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge Zhuhai checkpoint.
Gongbei Customs announced the case, which was detected last Thursday, in a statement yesterday, adding that the suspect did not submit a customs declaration when entering the delta bridge’s Zhuhai checkpoint.
Last Thursday at 2 p.m. according to the statement, customs officers intercepted a Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau plated vehicle exhibiting suspicious movements and deliberate evasion of inspection. Upon further inspection, customs officers discovered 126 “PANINI” trading cards in nine boxes concealed in a male passenger’s black backpack.
In the statement, Gongbei Customs reminded the public that according to relevant regulations, evading customs supervision by hiding or bringing goods subject to taxes into the mainland constitutes smuggling. If the circumstances are severe enough to constitute a crime, criminal liability will be pursued.
Macau Customs seizes 1.4 tonnes of frozen beef tongue
Meanwhile, Macau Customs Service officers raided a parallel-trading den in the peninsula’s northern district on Tuesday where they seized 1.4 tonnes of frozen beef tongues worth around 50,000 patacas in total.
According to a statement on Wednesday, on Tuesday night the officers caught a 54-year-old local man who ran the business and hired parallel traders to smuggle frozen beef tongue from Macau to the mainland.
The suspect will be fined in compliance with the relevant provisions listed in the External Trade Law, the statement said.
Moreover, the statement added, the suspect violated the Food Safety Law as the supposedly frozen beef tongue was stored merely at room temperature, adding that the Customs Service has meanwhile transferred the case to the Municipal Affairs Bureau (IAM) for follow-up action.
These undated handout photos provided by Zhuhai’s Jiuzhou and Gongbei Customs show shark fins seized by Jiuzhou Customs (below) and nine boxes of trading cards confiscated by Gongbei Customs.
This handout photo released by the Macau Customs Service on Wednesday shows the seized frozen beef tongue kept at room temperature in a parallel trading den in the northern district.
