Macau Customs authorities have used Terasense body scanners to detect several cases of smuggling in local borders this month, including dismantling a group involving some 30 people that attempted to smuggle over 600 mobile phones via the Gongbei Border Gate.
In recent months Customs authorities have stepped up smuggling activities in local borders as part of efforts to reduce the risk of Covid-19 spread in the SAR due to repeated crossings by smugglers carrying contraband between the city and Zhuhai, known as ‘water guests’.
According to the department, from May 5 to 15, it continued to conduct activities against ‘water guests at the Gongbei Border Gate, with a terahertz body imaging security screening system in the outbound passenger screening area used to successfully uncover 29 cases of smuggling to the Mainland of tech or beauty either strapped in the persons’ body or inside backpacks.
A Terasense body scanner is intended for stand-off detection of weapons, bombs and explosive belts and various contraband items hidden under clothes.
In total, 604 old mobile phones, seven old laptop computers, 600 old batteries and 55 beauty products were seized in this instance.
A total of 29 people – residents in Macau, Hong Kong or the Mainland and aged from 30 and 68 – were detained and could be slapped with a MOP50,000 (US$1,236) fine under the local  Foreign Trade Law, with the contraband goods seized as Macau SAR property.
“Customs appeals to citizens and foreign employees not to engage in related smuggling activities for the sake of profit, which will increase the burden of epidemic prevention and affect the hard-won results of epidemic prevention in Macau,” the department added.
Some people engaged in parallel trading between Macau and mainland China told Macau News Agency their struggles under the current difficult social and economic environment have led them to underground goods smuggling.
