China catches chicken wing smugglers

Shenzhen customs has reported stopping a ship trying to smuggle 60 containers of frozen goods including poultry, with a value of US$9.4 million into China.

Shenzhen customs impounded 1,800 tonnes of frozen goods on Tuesday, composed of chicken wings, beef and pork tripe, from such nations as the United States of America, Brazil, Australia, and New Zealand, all in 60 containers.

This has been the biggest bust made by Shenzhen customs since its establishment in 1997. The goods are estimated to have a value of 60 million renmibi, or €7.5 million/US$9.4 million.

Five of the eighteen strong crew have been detained.

The Shenzhen custom officers have put out an statement warning of the dangers of smuggled goods, by their nature they are not subject official scrutiny and therefore can pose a public health risk. In this particular case, the shipping condition was poor enough to have warranted a quarantine even if it had gone through official channels.