Rice-smuggling ring broken up in southwest China

A gang of rice smugglers has been busted by customs authorities in southwest China's Yunnan and Guizhou provinces, the General Administration of Customs said on Tuesday.

The gang smuggled over 50,000 tonnes of rice from Vietnam and evaded 123 million yuan (19 million U.S. dollars) in taxes since 2013, according to a statement on the administration's website.

Fourteen members of the gang were apprehended.

The smuggling disrupted the domestic market and threatened grain security, the statement said.

Customs are making a special effort against the smuggling of farm produce, including grain and frozen meat, this year. Endi