Smuggled human cells discovered in imported goods
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Some of the smuggled human cells.
Ti Gong -
A tube of human cells
Ti Gong -
Shanghai Customs staff check the smuggled goods.
Ti Gong
Smuggled human cells were recently discovered in a batch of imported goods, Shanghai Customs said today.
A total of 247 tubes containing human cells were found among goods that were declared to be laboratory medium, according to customs officials.
In China, approval from health and quarantine authorities is required to import human cells, and strict packaging and transportation rules must be followed to avoid biosafety risks.
In this case, the importer is a biological technology company in Shanghai.
The company has allegedly smuggled human cells with other declared goods several times since last June.
The smuggled cells have been destroyed, and an investigation is underway.
