China Customs Photo: VCG

Chinese and Australian law-enforcement agencies have dismantled a transnational tobacco-smuggling network and seized more than 90 million cigarettes in a coordinated operation, China's anti-smuggling bureau announced on Thursday in a WeChat post. 

Since the beginning of this year, the Zhanjiang Customs in South China's Guangdong Province, under the unified deployment of the anti-smuggling bureau of China's General Administration of Customs (GAC), has launched a special campaign targeting tobacco smuggling and the production and sale of counterfeit products. Law-enforcement agencies have busted nine illegal cigarette-smuggling groups and shut down nine storage sites, seizing more than 32 million smuggled cigarettes and over 1,100 boxes of e-cigarettes.

Further investigations uncovered a smuggling network in which criminal groups allegedly attempted to conceal counterfeit tobacco products manufactured overseas in legitimate shipments, transport them through China and ultimately smuggle them into Australia, said the post.

To target the entire criminal chain, the GAC anti-smuggling bureau shared relevant information with Australian side through the China-Australia customs enforcement cooperation mechanism. The two sides subsequently launched synchronized enforcement operations. Australian authorities seized 60 million smuggled cigarettes and 60 kilograms of tobacco leaves, according to the release.

Australian border enforcement authorities spoke highly of the joint operation, saying it demonstrated the importance of stronger international customs enforcement cooperation and information sharing, and expressed appreciation for China's support.

An official with the GAC anti-smuggling bureau said the operation had disrupted tobacco-smuggling routes entering and transiting China and dealt a major blow to transnational tobacco-smuggling crimes. Chinese customs authorities said they would continue to strengthen international law-enforcement cooperation and joint efforts against cross-border smuggling to safeguard a sound and orderly international trading environment.

Global Times