SHENZHEN Customs and counterparts in several other cities have caught 33 suspects who smuggled beef from the United States worth a combined 200 million yuan (US$32.6 million), authorities announced Sunday.

    The smuggling ring, headed by a man surnamed Liu, allegedly smuggled 6,000 tons of beef, making false agreements and invoices to clear customs, according to customs officials.

    A team of 260 anti-smuggling police in Dalian City in Liaoning Province, Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen and Guangzhou detained the suspects during a unified crackdown in January.

    The suspects’ bank accounts, which held about 30 million yuan, were frozen, according to the announcement.

    The smuggling of agricultural products, including rice and frozen meat, into China has soared over recent years due to many factors, including the nation’s rising cost of food, the General Administration of Customs has said.

    In 2013, there were 218 cases of rice smuggling, up 53 percent compared with 2011. There were also 720 cases of smuggling frozen beef, lamb or chicken that resulted in the confiscation of 94,000 metric tons of frozen meat.

    The General Administration of Customs maintians that the huge price differences between China and other countries, such as those in Africa and Southeast Asia, combined with their improved production capacity and low costs of labor, are the main reasons why China has seen a sharp rise in food smuggling.

    The domestic food industry has taken a hit and authorities warn that food safety is a major concern for these illegally imported products.

    Of course it also hurts government tax revenue, as the department made clear.

    “The key is to enhance our capabilities for obtaining relevant intelligence [to combat rampant smuggling],” said Li Lin, a lawyer from the Beijing Lawyers Association.

    Li added that customs and border-frontier police should enhance their supervision of land and sea border areas that are not equipped with checkpoints, which provide criminals with a greater chance of success in smuggling food products into the country.

    (SD-Xinhua)