Zhuhai’s Gongbei Customs Anti-Smuggling Department said in a statement on Saturday that it investigated a total of 19,683 smuggling cases last year, involving an estimated 9.613 billion yuan (11.06 billion patacas).
Among them, 51 major cases involved more than 10 million yuan each, according to a statement released by Zhuhai’s Gongbei Customs.
The statement noted that Gongbei Customs cracked down on parallel traders’ smuggling activities, investigating 11,828 cases last year. Notably, the “GD2502” parallel trader smuggling case involved an estimated value of 1.752 billion yuan. Meanwhile, maritime smuggling was also strictly targeted, with 12 criminal cases investigated, involving an estimated value of 37.61 million yuan, the statement said.
Over the past year, Gongbei Customs maintained a “zero-tolerance” attitude towards the smuggling of “foreign waste”*, investigating 57 related cases, the statement said, adding that smuggling of endangered species and their products was rigorously pursued, with 103 cases investigated. Major non-tax-related cases, such as those involving endangered butterfly products, were also investigated. Additionally, 58 confiscated endangered wild big-headed turtles were returned to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, the statement said.
Customs combat smuggling of firearms, ammunition, & drugs
In 2025, Gongbei Customs prioritised the fight against smuggling of firearms, ammunition, and drugs as a key task to safeguard national security, and the largest-ever case involving smuggling of drug-making substances in Gongbei was investigated, with 528,000 tablets of pseudoephedrine-containing drugs** seized, the statement added.
The statement pointed out that through enhanced cooperation with local public security and market supervision departments, the Gongbei Customs Anti-Smuggling Department busted seven money laundering cases, involving a total amount of 3.86 million yuan last year.
The statement noted that as 2026 marks the beginning of the nation’s 15th Five-Year Plan, Gongbei Customs will go all out to keep pressure high on smuggling, fully safeguard national security, and support the high-quality development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area’s economic development.
*Foreign waste (洋垃圾) is commonly used, especially in China and other East Asian countries, to refer to solid waste imported from overseas that is often of poor quality, contaminated, or difficult to recycle. - DeepSeek
** Pseudoephedrine-containing drugs are medicinal products that include pseudoephedrine as an active ingredient. Pseudoephedrine is a sympathomimetic amine that works by constricting blood vessels in the nasal passages, reducing congestion. - DeepSeek
This undated handout photo provided by Zhuhai’s Gongbei Customs on Saturday shows Gongbei Customs officials investigating the “GD2502” parallel trader smuggling case, officially estimated to be worth 1.752 billion yuan.
