Customs authorities crack smuggled furniture case
Police inspect smuggled furniture.
Over 15,000 pieces of smuggled antique furniture, worth 40 million yuan (US$5.86 million), were seized late last month, Shanghai Customs announced on Wednesday.
A woman surnamed Han, who is in charge of a Shanghai-based company, cooperated with a foreign firm to buy second-hand furniture in Europe. The company only paid a fraction of tariffs and value-added taxes to import the goods into the city, with the help of a declaration enterprise.
Police check the smuggled furniture.
After being repaired and restored, these items were sold in Han's antique furniture store and on the social networking platform Xiaohongshu.
The case is being investigating by the Third Branch of the People’s Procuratorate of Shanghai, customs officials said.
