Shanghai customs authorities announced July 25 that they have set up an a special team to help customs officers in cracking down on smuggling.
A customs spokesman the team has been formed mainly to deal with smuggling cases which may involve the smugglers' acts of violence.
Shanghai, a leading industrial and commercial center in China, has witnessed a growing number of smuggling cases in recent years.
Statistics show that in the first six months of the year, Shanghai Customs dealt with 32 smuggling cases, confiscating 72 million yuan of goods. Forty-four people involved in tariff evasion worth 15 million yuan have been detained.