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Shanghai customs recently intercepted 247 reagents of human cells hidden in a shipment of "laboratory growth medium" during inspection.

The importer of the goods was a biological science and technology company in Shanghai, which was found to have repeatedly smuggled imported human cells in the same way since June 2020, according to a report by China's General Administration of Customs on Sina Weibo on Sunday.

The anti-smuggling department of Shanghai customs has formally registered the case against the company for further investigation.

The smuggled goods have been destroyed in accordance with the law, it said. 

Human cells are the basic materials for biomedical and life science researches, and are categorized as "special goods" under China's frontier health and quarantine regulations and laws. 

The packaging of such special goods and the qualification of the users of the goods have to meet the corresponding requirements to avoid potential biosafety risks. The import of such goods requires the permission of health and quarantine authorities in advance.

China's Biosecurity Law, which was implemented on April 15, stipulates that personnel, containers and goods entering and departing the country must meet China's biosafety management requirements. 

Customs authorities must deal with entering, exiting and transiting biosafety risks in accordance with the law, says the legislation. 

China's Civil Code also prohibits the buying or selling of human cells, human tissues, human organs or human remains in any form.

Global Times