(ECNS) -- Guangdong Coast Guard announced on Wednesday that it had cracked multiple maritime smuggling cases involving refined oil, valued at approximately 200 million yuan ($27.28 million).
Such efforts resulted in the arrest of 33 suspects, the seizure of six smuggling vessels, and the confiscation of a batch of refined oil. Two maritime smuggling rings and three money laundering groups were dismantled.
The Coast Guard said that in the early hours last Wednesday, officers had detected two suspicious vessels with their MMSI (Maritime Mobile Service Identity) turned off in the waters of Yangjiang City. When the coast guard demanded the vessels stop for inspection, both attempted to flee.
Following repeated warnings, officers successfully boarded the vessels and apprehended 23 suspects on the spot.
Later the same day at 4 a.m., a smuggling vessel was intercepted in the southern waters of Zhuhai City, with four suspects captured.
On Thursday, the coast guard stopped a smuggling vessel near the waters of Huizhou City, apprehending six suspects on the spot.
Since 2023, criminal gangs led by individuals surnamed Xu and Guo have been using mobile fishing vessels from Hong Kong and Macao, as well as modified domestic fishing boats, to purchase “red oil” near Hong Kong’s Lamma Island. They smuggled and transported the oil into the Chinese mainland, selling it to local ships for profit in southeastern coastal waters.
Preliminary investigations reveal that these gangs smuggled approximately 25,000 metric tons of refined oil, valued at around 200 million yuan, evading taxes estimated at 60 million yuan.
Guangdong Coast Guard will further strengthen collaboration with various functional departments, enhance patrol efforts in key maritime areas, and crack down on all types of illegal activities at sea, fully committed to safeguarding people's lives and property.
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