Guangdong Customs yesterday strengthened its resolve to fight drug smuggling by water after it busted a group operating out of Huangpu Port late last week.

Guangdong Customs will further expand co-operation with its counterparts in Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions and in Taiwan in the fight against drug smuggling, said an anonymous customs official.

Drug-smugglers are active in Guangdong, which is close to Hong Kong and Macao.

Smugglers usually transport the drugs by water to the two regions and transfer them to the island (Taiwan) and other countries or regions in southeast Asia.

The pledge comes after Guangdong's Huangpu Customs announced on Monday that it had cracked a major drug-smuggling operation, seizing 14 kilograms of methamphetamine, which is commonly known as "ice."

The drugs were estimated to be worth more than 8 million yuan (US$1 million). At least three suspects were detained, who had planned to smuggle the drugs from Huangpu Port to Taiwan or to other Southeast Asian countries via Hong Kong.

Huangpu Port is one of the biggest ports on Chinese mainland and is located at the mouth of the Pearl River.

This is the biggest drug-smuggling case uncovered by Guangdong Customs this year, according to the official.

The case shows that co-operation between customs departments in Guangdong, Hong Kong and Taiwan can achieve results, he said.

Huangpu Customs has also broken another five car-smuggling operations in Guangdong waters.

Customs officials seized at least 63 foreign cars and automobile parts valued at 8.5 million yuan (US$1.1 million).

Four suspects were detained for questioning.

(China Daily April 5, 2006)