Martin Li

    martin.mouse@163.com

    LOCAL customs officers found an illegal private bank near Luohu Checkpoint and seized bank notes worth about 1.2 million yuan (US$194,640) Wednesday, the customs announced yesterday.

    The seized currencies include U.S. dollars and euros. Eleven members of the underground bank were detained, including nine Hong Kong citizens.

    The underground bank was headed by a Hong Kong woman, who was identified only as He. The bank paid outbound travelers to transport bank notes.

    The money was wrapped in packages of US$8,000, yet carriers received only HK$20 (US$2.58) for transporting each package.

    Customs launched a one-month crackdown on bank-note smuggling Aug. 11. Most smugglers were unemployed women aged between 40 and 55.

    More than 4,500 bank-note smuggling cases involving about 185 million yuan were uncovered in the first seven months of this year.

    Shenzhen Customs said the amount involved in bank-note smuggling has been increasing in recent years.

    According to Chinese laws, cross-border travelers are allowed to carry no more than 20,000 yuan. Inbound travelers have to declare to customs foreign bank notes worth more than US$5,000.