Beijing police have solved over 60 drug-related crimes from the beginning of this year until July, with a total of 9.3 kilograms of various types of drugs seized by police. Photo: Courtesy of Beijing police

The trials of drug smuggling cases at Beijing No.4 Intermediate People's Court in recent years showed that the drugs smuggled in these cases were in relatively large quantities including one smuggler who packed 24 kilograms of cocaine into 30 milk powder cans and smuggled them into China through two check-in suitcases. 

The court statement released on Thursday shows between January 1, 2015 and June 30, 2021, smuggling cases of precious animal products accounted for a large proportion, while the amount of tax evaded in the smuggling of ordinary goods and items was huge and the means of committing the crime were diverse. Besides, most drug smugglers attached drugs to their body or concealed drugs inside their body. 

Among the 166 smuggling cases that the court trialed during the period, cases of precious animal products accounted for 43.98 percent, ordinary goods and items represented 32.53 percent and drug smuggling cases amounted to 14.45 percent. A total of 42 defendant units and 222 natural person defendants were penalized. 

Compared with other types of smuggling cases, foreign national offenders in drug smuggling cases accounted for a relatively higher proportion. The means of committing the crime included offenders attaching drugs to their body, concealing drug inside their body or inside modified equipment. The amount of drugs involved in a single case was also generally higher. 

A smuggler surnamed Chen concealed cocaine worth a net weight of 24 kilograms into 30 milk powder cans and smuggled them into China through two pieces of check-in luggage in 2020, which posed great harm to society, noted Wang Jing, president of the criminal tribunal of the court. 

Meanwhile, smuggling through customs was the major crime means among smuggling cases of precious animal products. The major crime means included hiding ivory, rhino horns, pangolin scales, tortoise shells, brown bear gall bladders and wolf teeth in check-in suitcases or carry-on baggage before trying to pass through customs. 

Wang noted that most offenders in these smuggling crimes were overseas workers and tourists who either planned to sell them on the domestic black market for profit or give them away as gifts and use them as medicine. 

Global Times