China’s top anti-espionage agency has warned of foreign attempts to bypass Chinese export controls to obtain rare minerals essential for cutting-edge military applications. The warning from the Ministry of State Security on Saturday came as it revealed two antimony smuggling cases, one involving a family-run criminal network and the other a group of traffickers. “Certain…
Shielded by a cap under the 90-degree weather, Joel Smith crouched near a water barrel in a remote desert area near Arivaca Road on Monday. He twisted the lid off with ease, allowing an overflow of water to briefly trickle out. × This page requires Javascript. Javascript is required for you to be able…
A former correctional officer, a former inmate at a South Carolina prison and the ex-inmate’s brother have been arrested and charged with running a widespread operation to smuggle drugs into over a dozen state prisons. The trio allegedly used packages “presented as containing books” to smuggle hundreds of strips containing synthetic cannabinoids and Suboxone into…
Hong Kong customs seized 278 million illicit cigarettes with an estimated market value of HK$1.25 billion (US$160.3 million) in more than 80 cases in the first half of the year as part of a cross-regional tobacco smuggling crackdown. The Customs and Excise Department said on Thursday that it had strengthened cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region…
A Chinese national living in Brooklyn tried to smuggle $1.4 million worth of protected turtles wrapped in masking tape out of the United States — by passing them off as “plastic animal toys,” prosecutors said Monday. Wei Qiang Lin worked to ship 222 packages of about 850 turtles to Hong Kong for more than a…
Prato, Italy – When Zhang Dayong lay in a pool of blood on a sidewalk in Rome after being shot six times, few suspected a link to Italy’s storied textile hub of Prato. But a “hanger war” is raging in the city near Florence — turning Europe’s largest apparel manufacturing center and a pillar of…
Hong Kong customs has launched talks with major cross-border e-commerce firms, including Pinduoduo and Taobao, in a bid to block contraband from being sold to buyers in the city, the head of the disciplined service has revealed. Commissioner of Customs and Excise Chan Tsz-tat told the Post in an exclusive interview that his agency had…
Police are investigating the death of a 20-year-old Brazilian woman who died on a bus with 26 iPhones glued to her skin. The woman, who has not been publicly identified, died of cardiac arrest on July 29, according to multiple outlets, including the Daily Mail. Cops suspect the young woman was likely smuggling the iPhones,…
A number of suspects involved in strategic mineral smuggling had been arrested, Chinese authorities said on Saturday, while pledging stronger enforcement of export controls to prevent illegal shipments and technology transfers for military use. The Ministry of Commerce statement came during a high-level export-control meeting in Nanning, capital of Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region – an…
Hong Kong Customs has intercepted a cargo vessel bound for Macau, uncovering HK$28 million (US$3.575 million) worth of undeclared items, including dried shark fins and alternative smoking products. Patrolling officers intercepted the river trade vessel southwest of Hong Kong, near the waters off Fan Lau on Lantau on May 9, and found the poorly documented…