Smuggling attempts thwarted by Gongbei Customs

A local man has been arrested by the Gongbei Customs on allegations of smuggling 21 live turtles into mainland China, over three consecutive days.

The confiscated turtles, comprising 12 Mexican mud turtles, 8 Tabasco mud turtles and one Three-line musk turtle, were intercepted at the Gongbei Border Checkpoint’s “Nothing to Declare” customs channel.

At about 7 p.m. on Jan. 9, the man, surnamed Chao, tried to enter Zhuhai. According to the Customs authority, he was seen carrying a plastic bag and behaving anxiously, and was consequently questioned by the officers on site. Nine live turtles were found in the bag and were confiscated when he was unable to produce the required legal documents.

Subsequent attempts on the following two days resulted in the confiscation of 12 additional turtles that Chao and another person were seeking to smuggle into Zhuhai.

Inspections by the authority confirmed that the three turtle batches were nationally protected species. The specimens have since been delivered to the agricultural department.

In three separate incidents, three mainland residents were arrested for allegedly smuggling Maotai wines from Macau into mainland China. All three cases used a variety of concealment methods and were intercepted by  the Gongbei Customs.

The first two cases took place on Jan. 17, when Customs officers found four bottles of the wine hidden among food packaging in the luggage of two mainland residents. Another bottle of wine was found in a heat-resistant tumbler.

The third case was identified around 10 p.m. on Jan. 22. A mainland resident attempted to enter Zhuhai again through the “Nothing to Declare” channel and was inspected by Customs officers, who found two cans of baby milk formula in the resident’s backpack.

Customs inspectors found a bottle of wine in each of the cans, which were identifiable from the sound made by the cans and confirmed upon further inspection.

Gongbei Customs emphasizes to the public that the import and export of nationally protected species and associated products, as well as products that subject to duties, must comply with the law and be accompanied by all relevant documentation.