China busts largest crocodile skin smuggling ring in Xiamen   

厦门破获全国最大鳄鱼皮走私案 共计3062张

Crocodile skins are seen in broken paper boxes in Xiamen, Fujian province. (Photo: www.qzwb.com)

(ECNS) -- Custom officers recently exposed a crocodile skin smuggling operation in Xiamen, Fujian province, seizing over 3,000 trafficked items in the biggest such case to ever hit China. 

In June, Xiamen Anti-Smuggling Department found 1,328 pieces of crocodile skin of various sizes, patterns and colors that had been smuggled in batches from November 2013 by a company specializing in small-scale import and export from Taiwan. 

Several other incidents of smuggling involving the same group of suspects have been exposed by Xiamen Customs in recent years, including a total of 3,062 confiscated pieces weighing more than 3,688 kilograms. 

According to investigations, the smuggled crocodile skins were transported to the Chinese mainland after being dyed in Taiwan. The company responsible for customs clearance did either not declare the items or entered them under false details thanks to bribes. 

Famous leather stores and wholesale markets in Guangzhou were the main buyers of the crocodile skin. 

With an increasing demand for upscale leather products, the smuggling of rare animal parts has been on the rise in recent years.