Off the wire
• Urgent: Caravan with Fidel Castro's remains begins last trip to Santiago Cemeterey  • Air strike kills 2 IS fighters in E. Afghanistan  • Philippine vice president quits from Duterte's Cabinet  • China partners with the world in industrial design  • Roundup: Italians go to polls in crucial constitutional referendum  • Feature: Disabled South Sudanese call for ending discrimination  • Xi stresses adherence to Constitution  • Weather forecast for world cities -- Dec. 4  • Weather forecast for major Chinese cities, regions -- Dec. 4  • Feature: Chinese railway company sets up training institute in Kenya  
You are here: 　 Home

Man detained for smuggling herbal medicine from Russia to China

Xinhua, December 4, 2016 Adjust font size:

A Chinese man has been detained for smuggling 672 kg of medicinal herbs from Russia to China.

On Thursday, customs at Manzhouli, in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, discovered the herb Saposhnikovia divaricata in the man's possession. Officials said Sunday it is the biggest herbal medicine smuggling case the customs office have dealt with in 30 years.

The herb is used in traditional Chinese medicine to treat rubella, cold, and joint pain.

The suspect hid the herbs in 58 plastic bags in a storage box concealed under the seat of the coach he was driving. The medicine is estimated to be worth about 300,000 yuan (43,600 U.S. dollars), according to customs staff.

Manzhouli is close to the eastern part of Russia, which boasts rich resources used in herbal medicine production. Some criminals smuggle herbal medicine from Russia to China to benefit from the huge price differences, according to customs staff. Endi