67 tonnes of smuggled cosmetics seized in China's Shenzhen

SHENZHEN, Dec. 2 (Xinhua) -- Customs authorities in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen have busted a major smuggling ring with 17 suspects caught and 67 tonnes of cosmetics worth more than 200 million yuan (about 31.4 million U.S. dollars) seized.

The criminal gang is suspected of using cross-border e-commerce channels to smuggle imported cosmetics, milk powder and other goods into China, said the Shenzhen Customs on Wednesday.

At the end of last year, local customs found that the total declared price of a batch of imported cosmetics was significantly underestimated, and the express receipts and the buyer's identity information were forged during a routine check on cross-border e-commerce goods.

According to the preliminary investigation, the ring deliberately declared goods that should have been imported via general trade as goods imported through cross-border e-commerce channels. They then arranged for buyers in Shenzhen to sell the goods nationwide.

In April, 34 task forces with about 220 people launched operations to arrest the ring members. Six containers full of cosmetics, including cleansing foams, facial creams and makeup foundations of renowned brands such as Lancome, Burberry and Calvin Klein, were seized on the spot, weighing about 67 tonnes.