The Macau Customs Service announced in a statement on Sunday that its officers seized 107 kilograms of silver granules worth 2.21 million patacas in eight days.
According to the statement, customs officers raided a parallel-trading den in the peninsula’s northern district on Friday where they seized 12 kilograms of silver granules worth around 240,000 patacas in total.
The statement said that the officers caught a 47-year-old local male who ran the business and hired parallel traders to smuggle the silver granules from Macau to the Chinese mainland.
Meanwhile, the statement also said that between February 27 and March 5, customs officers busted 33 smugglers attempting smuggle 95 kilograms of silver granules worth 1.97 million patacas through the Barrier Gate and Qingmao checkpoints.
Customs officers noticed that 33 travellers were behaving suspiciously and so intercepted them, the statement said, adding that they discovered that the smugglers had concealed silver granules within their personal belongings and clothing or wrapped them around various parts of their body, attempting to smuggle them into the Chinese mainland.
The statement said that the ages of the smugglers involved in the case range from 16 to 71.
The Macau Customs Service has initiated legal proceedings against them in accordance with the provisions of the External Trade Law.
The man who was in charge of the parallel trading den and the 33 smugglers could face a maximum fine of 50,000 patacas each. Furthermore, the seized goods will be declared forfeited to the local government.
Separately, as some of the smugglers involved are students, the Customs Service has immediately activated its communication mechanism to report the matter to the Education and Youth Development Bureau (DSEDJ) for follow-up.
As the business premises in question did not possess a valid operating licence, the case has been referred to the Financial Services Bureau (DSF) for follow-up.
This undated handout photo released by the Macau Customs Service on Sunday shows a customs officers checking the silver granules at a parallel trading den in the peninsula’s northern district.
This undated handout photo provided by the Macau Customs Service on Sunday shows silver granules concealed in a shower gel dispenser.
