On December 11, 2018, Kaohsiung Customs managed to seize a container of undeclared dried mushrooms without receiving any prior confidential report of smuggling. The smuggled goods were estimated at a market value around NT$20 million in total.

According to Kaohsiung Customs, some officers were screening manifests, as required by the risk management procedures, when a container of goods imported from Hong Kong via the vessel Wan Hai 175 was found to be suspicious. After the containerized goods, declared as LED Light, had been unloaded at Kaohsiung port, an inspection revealed that the whole container was full of undisguised Chinese dried mushrooms, which were not in conformity with the information shown in the manifest and Bill of Lading. Consequently, all of the smuggled goods were detained as detailed by the Customs Anti-smuggling Act.

Kaohsiung Customs indicated further that seizure of smuggled agricultural products coming from China has always been one of Customs’ main tasks. As Chinese New year is just around the corner, the demand for such food ingredients as dried mushrooms has been boosted. It was inferred that unscrupulous vendors had been tempted to smuggle low-priced Chinese dried mushrooms to make substantial profits, totally disregarding domestic farmers’ hard work. The Customs authority reiterated that if dried mushrooms which have not been quarantined are sold in the market, the health of the general public will be in jeopardy. Citizens should not buy low-priced dried mushrooms with unclear origins in order to protect their own health. Meanwhile, the public is encouraged to report any suspected smuggling activities to Customs by calling the toll-free number: 0800-711117.

Contact: Ms. Lock
Tel: +886-7-562-8201