The smuggling cases involved more than 743 million yuan (US$89.52 million) for various goods, up 47.78 per cent when compared with the same period of the previous year, according to Wu Sihai, an official from Guangdong Customs yesterday.

More than 850 suspected smugglers have been detained for further questioning.

And the losses in taxes in those cases are valued at more than 110 million yuan (US$13.25 million).

Despite the achievement, Guangdong Customs will continue to spare no efforts in uncovering smuggling offences in the following months, Wu said.

And a series of special campaigns will be launched during the New Year's Day and the Chinese Spring Festival in January to fight smuggling, Wu added.

Of the smuggling cases investigated in the past three months, 20 belonged to big cases that were worth more than 10 million yuan (US$1.2 million) each.

Guangdong Customs has mainly seized products such as mobile phones, CD-ROMs, finished oil, steel and chemicals over the past three months, Wu said.

And 228 of the smuggling cases that were worth more than 15 million yuan (US$1.81 million) were cracked in Guangdong waters in the past three months, Wu said.

Guangdong Customs sent 643 customs vessels and 9,645 customs officers to search 1,479 boats suspected of smuggling in Guangdong waters.

"The former smuggling events in Guangdong waters, particularly in the eastern part of Guangdong Province, has now been brought under control after a three-month special campaign to fight smuggling in Guangdong waters,'' Wu said.

Meanwhile, Guangdong Customs launched 18 drug smuggling cases and detained 25 suspects during the August-October period. Among the seized drugs are 17.5 kilograms of heroin.

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