Chinese customs seize huge haul of meteorites

SHANGHAI - Customs from East China's Shanghai on Tuesday reported an unusually large seizure of 857 kg of meteorites fraudulently declared as "dolomite."

Customs officers at Pudong International Airport said the two hauls of "dolomite" airlifted from Kenya roused their suspicions as most ore cargo is transported by sea to save on costs.

On Aug 27, officers opened the crates for inspection and found the stones, black-brown in color and ferromagnetic, clearly defied descriptions of dolomite.

A spokesperson with the customs said the aerolites were registered as dolomite to evade tax. It was the largest meteorite seizure ever reported at the airport customs.

The airport customs said they have made several seizures of meteorites trying to enter under false names since the beginning of this year. In July alone, 57 meteorite slices weighing 3.86 kg in total were seized from packages from countries including Russia, Sweden, Kenya and Chile.