Gongbei Customs announced in a statement yesterday that its officers nabbed a male mainlander surnamed Tan on Thursday for smuggling three bottles of Maotai hidden in three fruit cans into the Chinese mainland.
According to the statement, on Thursday night customs officers at the Zhuhai’s Gongbei border checkpoint noticed Tan entering the Chinese mainland through the “Green Channel” in the passenger inspection hall. As his shopping bag had not been X-rayed, they decided to intercept him for inspection.
The inspection revealed a sealed pack of three fruit cans inside Tan’s bag. The cans showed no signs of having been opened or tampered with, but their weight was abnormal, leading to an initial suspicion of concealed contents. Upon opening them, it was discovered that one bottle of Maotai liquor had been stuffed inside each can, making a total of three bottles.
In the statement, Gongbei Customs underlined that smuggling includes concealing, disguising, misreporting, or otherwise evading customs inspection when transporting, carrying, or mailing dutiable goods entering or leaving the mainland, and that serious cases that constitute a crime will be subject to criminal liability in accordance with the law.
Macau Customs seizes 9 bottles of Maotai, cigars from 3 smugglers
Meanwhile, Macau Customs announced in a statement yesterday that it officers seized nine bottles of Maotai and cigars weighing 6,006 grams.
On September 26, customs officers at the local checkpoint of the Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macao Bridge (HZMB) intercepted a cross–border vehicle through their risk management system. A follow-up inspection revealed that the female smuggler attempted to smuggle nine bottles of Maotai into Macau.
In the other case, on October 1 (National Day), customs officers at the Barrier Gate checkpoint noticed a male mainlander acting suspiciously, and found him carrying cigars weighing 4,641 grams, which were concealed in two local souvenir shop bags.
On October 3, Macau customs officers at the Barrier Gate also noticed a male mainlander exhibiting nervous behaviour during a routine inspection. The inspection revealed cigars weighing 1,365 grams hidden in a bag from the same local souvenir shop.
According to Macau’s External Trade Law, the three smugglers face a fine of up to 100,000 patacas each, while the seized contraband has been confiscated.
This undated handout photo provided by Gongbei Customs shows three bottles of Maotai liquor smuggled in three fruit cans from Macau to Zhuhai.
This undated handout photo provided by the Macau Customs Service yesterday shows cigars weighing 4,641 grams seized from a mainland-bound smuggler.
