Six suspects were caught on Saturday for parallel trading in violation of the External Trade Law, resulting in the confiscation of more than 19,400 beauty products worth 4.55 million patacas, the Macau Customs Services said in a statement yesterday.
The Customs Services said that following the seizure of 5,900 cosmetic products worth about 3.8 million patacas on Thursday involving 15 suspects, another suspected parallel trading shop (known in Cantonese as “seui fo dim”) near the Barrier Gate was raided by customs officers on Saturday.
The officers seized more than 19,400 beauty products with an estimated value of 4.55 million patacas.
According to the statement, the Macau Customs Service has been exchanging information with Gongbei Customs Service about parallel trading activities, and recently started to monitor the suspected parallel trading shop near the Barrier Gate, discovering that the shop had a large quantity of beauty products in stock.
Six people were caught in the shop and the person-in-charge of the shop is suspected of illegally hiring non-local residents whose job it was to carry large amounts of goods frequently in small batches across the Barrier Gate checkpoint to the mainland.
According to the statement, the six suspects comprise the shop licence holder, two employees and three “carriers”.
According to the statement, the shop faces a fine of up to 50,000 patacas and all the goods found in the shop have been seized. Two of the three carriers are non-local residents, the statement said, adding that both as well as the licence holder of the shop and two employees are suspected of a breach of the law on the employment of non-resident workers. The Customs Services has referred the case to the Labour Affairs Bureau (DSAL) for follow-up.
The statement underlined that the Customs Services will continue to crack down on parallel trading activities and strictly enforce the law.
In case of suspected smuggling or parallel trading, the Customs Services urged public to call 28965001 or contact them by fax 28965003 or email: info@customs.gov.mo.
This handout photo provided by the Macau Customs Service yesterday shows customs officers cordoning off the suspected parallel “beauty products” shop near the Barrier Gate checkpoint on Saturday.
This handout photo provided by the Macau Customs Service yesterday shows customs officers lining up the parallel trading suspects in the shop on Saturday.
This handout photo provided by the Macau Customs Service yesterday shows the “parallel goods” seized from the shop on Saturday.
