Large sea sand smuggling case busted in Shanghai
A total of 17 suspects have been caught in the largest sea sand smuggling case busted in Shanghai in the past two years, the China Coast Guard said on Wednesday.
More than 27,500 tons of sea sand was seized, according to the coast guard.
During a patrol mission on early Monday morning, the coast guard discovered a suspicious boat in the sea area near suburban Baoshan District, and boarded it for an inspection.
The vessel was found to be loaded with sandstones similar to sea sand which contained a large number of crushed shells.
They didn't match the goods stated on the freight list provided by the boat crew, according to the law enforcers.
The market worth of the smuggled sea sand is estimated to be over 3 million yuan (US$471,000).
The boat has also been seized by the coast guard.