Relying closely on the leaders of the local party organizations and administrative governments, and enhancing the coordination and cooperation with relative departments, Customs have put in massive forces combating illegal criminal smuggling activities in key districts, key channels and involving key commodities, Sheng said. Using comprehensively the two means of administrative and crime-control enforcement, Customs have been carrying out a powerful and dynamic combat against smuggling, seizing and settling firmly and resolutely some big and important smuggling cases.

In the three years of 1999, 2000 and 2001, according to Sheng, Customs nationwide seized respectively 13,694, 11,421 and 12,439 of smuggling cases. The value of the smuggling cases seized amounted to 7.56 billion yuan, 8.61 billion yuan and 6.028 billion yuan respectively. Focusing on combating cliques, pursuing the escaped convicts and investigating big cases, Customs anti-smuggling police has enhanced the investigation into big and important smuggling cases. Three years since its establishment, Customs anti-smuggling police has taken coercive measures against 12,928 criminal smuggling suspects according to the law, among whom 6,284 have been transferred according to the law to the procuratorial institutes for prosecution.

From January to July this year, Customs throughout the country seized 6,315 smuggling cases, a decrease of 12.24 percent compared with that of the same period last year. The value of the cases amounted to 3.245 billion yuan, an increase of 4.98 percent compared with that of the same period last year. Customs anti-smuggling police has taken coercive measures against 2,086 criminal suspects, a decrease of 12.32 percent compared with that of the same period last year.

?After all these years? effort, our combat against smuggling has made remarkable achievements not only politically but also economically. The tendency of big-scale smuggling has been basically contained,? Sheng said.

(China.org.cn September 6, 2002)