Sacks of used clothes seized by border police in Shenzhen, South China's Guangdong Province. Border police have busted a used clothing smuggling ring, seizing six suspects and also confiscating 549 tons of old clothes (Photo/Xinhua)
(ECNS) -- Border police in South China's Guangdong Province have busted a used clothing smuggling ring from Hong Kong, seizing six suspects and confiscating 549 tons of old clothes, Guangzhou Daily reported.
After receiving a tip, border police in Shenzhen City intercepted the cargo ship Liyunda on a stormy night on June 8. The freighter was found carrying used clothes with a market value of 11 million yuan ($1.7 million).
Police said the used clothes were purchased from other countries.
Some recycling companies sold the clothes cheaply like rubbish. When the clothes reached a certain quantity, buyers smuggled them into the Chinese Mainland through Hong Kong after refurbishing them.
The original cost of the clothing items was only several yuan, but they could be sold for hundreds of yuan in the market.
The used clothes can pose serious health threats to customers, especially children, since they are seldom disinfected and can contain dangerous germs or viruses, a source told the newspaper.
The six suspects included five from Taiwan and one from the Chinese mainland.
