Officials crack down on professional smugglers
By Xu Fang and Pan Zheng |
December 3, 2010, Friday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
CUSTOMS officers in the cities of Shenzhen and Gongbei in Guangdong Province have investigated 939 "shuike smuggling" cases amounting to a total value of 49.88 million yuan (US$7.48 million) since mid-September, the General Administration of Customs announced yesterday at a news conference.
The seized goods included wine, tobacco, electronic products and currencies. Smugglers are suspected of evading taxes of 5.01 million yuan, Beijing News reported.
Shuike, a Chinese word, refers to those who are hired by smugglers to carry a small number of items, on which high taxes are levied or which are banned or restricted from crossing borders.
They usually travel between Guangdong and Hong Kong or Guangdong and Macau. Shenzhen and Gongbei ports appear to be the two ports they use most often.
Customs officials said "shuike smuggling" has become an occupation.
Every day there are more than 8,000 professional shuikes going in or out of Shenzhen and Gongbei ports, hidden among the tens of thousands of legitimate travelers. Their trips range from three times to more than 50 times a day, according to customs officials.
The General Administration of Customs, thus, launched a campaign to crack down on "shuike smuggling" in mid-September.
Officers found most items smuggled by shuikes were small commodities with high values and advanced technology that are popular in the market, such as mobile phones, luxury products and health products as well as drugs, money and pornographic DVDs.
Earlier this year, Shenzhen customs officials caught a group trying to take nearly 20,000 carats of diamonds with a total value of 166 million yuan across the border. The group allegedly evaded taxes of 34.68 million yuan - 33 suspects were held.
Officials said shuikes usually hide the goods around their body or in their luggage. The smuggling groups also make use of disabled people, old people, pregnant women and juveniles.
The General Administration of Customs issued a regulation in August, stressing the items travelers carry into the border must be for self use and of a reasonable amount. If the total value of items exceeds 5,000 yuan, the carrier will be taxed.
The seized goods included wine, tobacco, electronic products and currencies. Smugglers are suspected of evading taxes of 5.01 million yuan, Beijing News reported.
Shuike, a Chinese word, refers to those who are hired by smugglers to carry a small number of items, on which high taxes are levied or which are banned or restricted from crossing borders.
They usually travel between Guangdong and Hong Kong or Guangdong and Macau. Shenzhen and Gongbei ports appear to be the two ports they use most often.
Customs officials said "shuike smuggling" has become an occupation.
Every day there are more than 8,000 professional shuikes going in or out of Shenzhen and Gongbei ports, hidden among the tens of thousands of legitimate travelers. Their trips range from three times to more than 50 times a day, according to customs officials.
The General Administration of Customs, thus, launched a campaign to crack down on "shuike smuggling" in mid-September.
Officers found most items smuggled by shuikes were small commodities with high values and advanced technology that are popular in the market, such as mobile phones, luxury products and health products as well as drugs, money and pornographic DVDs.
Earlier this year, Shenzhen customs officials caught a group trying to take nearly 20,000 carats of diamonds with a total value of 166 million yuan across the border. The group allegedly evaded taxes of 34.68 million yuan - 33 suspects were held.
Officials said shuikes usually hide the goods around their body or in their luggage. The smuggling groups also make use of disabled people, old people, pregnant women and juveniles.
The General Administration of Customs issued a regulation in August, stressing the items travelers carry into the border must be for self use and of a reasonable amount. If the total value of items exceeds 5,000 yuan, the carrier will be taxed.
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