Mobile team seizes illegal jade and crabs in Myanmar-China border trade route
Published on Wednesday, 05 December 2012 22:57
A recently-formed mobile team arrested the merchants for smaggled jade and crabs after checking a vehicle between Kutkai and Namhphatkha heading to Myanmar-China border trade route at the end of November, according to the report of the Border Trade Department.
The smuggled items were confiscated for two times by the mobile team at the end of November. The mobile team also seized a pile of jades hidden in the forest to be smaggled to China
"We stopped and serched a van and seized crabs and jade on the road between Kutkai and Nahmphatkha. We also found illegal jades piled in the forest, but the owner escaped. All the jades have been valued at over US$94,118 (K80 million)," an official who asked not to be named of the mobile team said.
The value of foodstuff and consumer goods seized until the end of November was US$48,471 (K41.2 million), the Border Trade Department reported.
The merchants are unofficially exporting gems and timber logs besides jades to China and therefore, unofficial trade volume is going on billions of US dollars annually, the BTD stated.
If the illegal trade is effectively prohibited, the official trade volume will boost more than now.
Most of small merchants were arrested for trading in unofficial foodstuff and consumer goods. Some of the officially-banned foodstuff such as frozend chicken and sauges were destroyed by the mobile team, the BTD said.
"The mobile team checked more small vehicles, motorcycles and small merchants. As now is the educative period, the team makes the merchants re-apply for the official liscense. The seized goods are given back to the merchants.
The goods without health certificate for the consumers have to be destroyed," the mobile team said.
"Some trucks unofficially carrying goods run only at night, but not in broad daylight. Therefore, only small merchants are arrested," a merchant said.
Source: http://www.news.myanmaronlinecentre.com/2012/12/05/mobile-team-seizes-illegal-jade-and-crabs-in-myanmar-china-border-trade-route/
No comments:
Post a Comment