Customs officers seize smuggled rare animal parts

Customs officers in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, have seized 7.26 metric tons of pangolin scales after cracking down on a series of smuggling cases involving endangered animals and their products in July and August.

Zheng Jun, deputy director of Guangzhou Customs' anti-smuggling bureau, said it is the largest amount of pangolin scales seized by Guangzhou Customs this year.

"The crackdown has dealt a heavy blow to the smuggling that involves endangered animals and their products in Guangdong province, known as the southern gate of the country," Zheng said at a news conference on Wednesday.