Thursday, September 21, 2000, updated at 09:58(GMT+8)
China
Thousands of Crates of Smuggled Cigarettes Distroyed in Shantou
A total of 4,450 crates of counterfeit Baisha brand cigarettes seized by Shantou Customs in south China's Guangdong Province were destroyed publicly Wednesday.
The batch of smuggled cigarettes, found in a Honduras-registered ship in July last year, would have evaded 7.9 million yuan (about 952,000 U.S. dollars) in taxes, according to customs officers.
Two suspects of foreign nationality were detained on charge of smuggling.
A total of 4,450 crates of counterfeit Baisha brand cigarettes seized by Shantou Customs in south China's Guangdong Province were destroyed publicly Wednesday.