Wheeler-Dealers Roll Contraband across Sino-Mongolian Border

Chinese Customs officers have seized more than 400 kilograms of mutton smuggled from Mongolia in the latest in a series of cases where smugglers have hidden trafficked goods in heavy truck tyres.

Officers at Erenhot, on the China-Mongolia border, became suspicious early Monday when they noticed that all the screws on the trucks eights tyres had been recently fitted, said Jin Yanyong, chief of Erenhot customs.

They found the mutton when they took the tyres apart.

The driver of the truck was released with a warning, said Jin.


Customs officers have found 22 shipments of goods, including 120 marmot furs and a total of 2,601 kilograms of mutton, smuggled in tyres across the China-Mongolia border since September, said Jin.

Smugglers can make a profit of 8 yuan (1.17 U.S. dollars) or more for every half kilogram, as mutton was priced at 11 to 16 yuan in China, but 3 to 6 yuan in Mongolia, he said.

China has banned the import of cloven-hoofed animals and their products from Mongolia since 2000 after an epidemic of foot and mouth disease. With the approach of the winter slaughter season, Mongolia has an oversupply of meat.

The downturn in the Mongolian economy had weakened domestic consumption, while demand remained brisk in China, said Jin.

Customs officers in Erenhot have blacklisted trucks used for smuggling and identified parts of trucks used for smuggling.

Edited by Xu Danning,
Source:Xinhua news agency of China