Shenzhen Customs seized 2,165 ancient fossils under national protection as they were being smuggled out of China. The haul is believed to be the biggest of its kind since 1949.

Four suspects were arrested July 31, including a Taiwanese businessman Chen Rongzhong, Shenzhen Customs said.

The fossils, identified by veteran paleontologists, can be traced back to the Jurassic Period and also include some from the Cenozoic Era and the Triassic Period. Part of the haul were ichthyosaur and dinosaur egg fossils which are classified as relics under Grade I/II/III national protection.

The categories and time span covered by the fossils are so complete that they can form an exhibition of ancient animal fossils, according to experts.

The fossils were found in a container bound for Taiwan during a routine check by Shekou Customs on Jan. 18. Declared as handicrafts, the goods in the container were found to be fossils concealed by two huge red stones blocking the rear of the container.

Using the goods as bait, customs officers arrested a man surnamed Yang who was allegedly in charge of transporting the goods from Guangxi to Shenzhen. From Yang, the customs obtained information about the owner of the goods, Chen Rongzhong, who was later found to have been involved in a smuggling case in Wuzhou, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, June 7, 2000.

Chen and his accomplices were arrested in Guilin and Shenzhen on June 27. An expert on fossils, Chen allegedly began buying fossils in the Guilin area in 1992 and formed a well-organized gang of smugglers with predetermined duties from procurement to customs clearance.

According to China's criminal law, people who smuggle precious relics protected by the State face life imprisonment or death in the most serious circumstances.

(Shenzhen Daily August 6, 2003)