BEIJING: A female airline passenger who allegedly attempted to bring some 40,000 yuan (US$6,200) worth of undeclared goods into China in her luggage while traveling from Japan is being investigated by local customs, officials said yesterday.
Since the amount is less than 100,000 yuan, her actions do not constitute smuggling, but she could be punished for her failure to declare the goods.
Travelers are permitted to bring a maximum of 5,000 yuan worth of goods into the country and must declare and pay duty on the rest.
According to customs officials, the woman, surnamed He, took a Spring Airlines flight from Osaka to Shanghai, arriving at Shanghai Pudong International Airport on Monday afternoon. When customs officers checked her luggage, it was found to contain cosmetics and luxury goods she had bought in Japan.
The woman told officers that the goods, including six Issey Miyake bags and more than 300 containers of lotion and facial masks, were worth about 40,000 yuan. She added that some was for her own use and the remainder she was planning to sell to friends.
Checking He’s passport, the officers found that she had traveled to Japan or South Korea every month over the past year and believed she had been regularly bringing goods into China.
