Recently, Tianjin Customs District seized 5 tons of raw charcoal to be illegally exported by false declaration at Xingang Port, which was the first case of charcoal smuggling at this port in recent 3 years. 

This batch of charcoal was declared as “flush toilet”, “ceramic basins” and “ceramic tiles” to Xingang Customs House to evade export control. However, through out-of-box inspection, customs officers found 4,400 cartons of raw charcoal, totaling 5 tons, in two containers. Now, this case is under further anti-smuggling investigation.

Charcoal, as a multi-purpose commodity, is in strong demand on the international market. Reportedly, to make 1 ton of charcoal needs to burn off about 10 tons of natural wood, with noxious gas produced to pollute the environment. Since 2004, China has listed wood-made charcoal into the goods prohibited from export and the Customs authority has been cracking down on charcoal smuggling activities.