12 arrested for smuggling seafood in Guangxi

NANNING - Customs in Nanning, capital of southwest China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, busted a smuggling gang of 12 suspects, seizing more than 19 tonnes of seafood, local authorities said Friday.

According to Nanning Customs, the suspects purchased seafood such as lobsters, crabs and squid and transported it to wharves without customs offices in Guangxi to sell in domestic markets.

Over 500 tonnes of marine products worth about 50 million yuan (7.8 million U.S. dollars) were estimated to have been smuggled by the gang so far.

The anti-smuggling department of the customs identified the gang from evidence collected from several smaller smuggling cases since the beginning of the year and arrested 12 suspects on May 28.

The case is under further investigation.