Toxic waste smuggling case cracked
June 28, 2012 Category Environment, Pollution
Customs officials in Nanjing have arrested seven people on charges of smuggling over 4,000 tons of household toxic waste from the Netherlands from December to March. In one case, the Hepu Trading Co in Hefei, Anhui province, purchased banned imports containing toxic chemicals from a Taiwanese firm, which smuggled it from Dutch supplier Van Puijfelik, officials said. To pass the Customs’ check, the three sides conspired to claim the 30 shipping containers of goods were waste papers — allowable imports that are safe and recyclable. The imported trash caused many Customs officials inspecting the goods to suffer severe respiratory and skin infections. After buying the trash at low prices, the firm would pick out the “valuable” parts, including paper and plastics, to sell at high profit margins and dump the remaining trash. The Taiwanese Manager was arrested at Shanghai Hongqiao Airport on February 19 while Hepu’s Manager, surnamed Geng, was detained in Hefei. Authorities shipped the 30 containers back to the Netherlands. Officials found another 2,045 tons of household waste had been smuggled from Rotterdam, which was described as a gateway for trash bound for China and other developing countries. Chinese law bans imports of solid waste that cannot be used as raw materials or that poses a serious risk to the environment, the China Daily reports.
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