Close to 60 tonnes of gemstones, worth about USD 289 million, have been seized by customs in southern China's island province of Hainan.
20 suspects have been caught in Haikou in connection with the seizures that include amber, charoite and jade, local customs said today.
In December 2014, customs officers found suspicious luggage belonging to a passenger in the Sanya airport.
During the course of two-year long investigation, they uncovered four groups, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
After an initial investigation, police found that Zhu, head of the operation, bought 200 tonnes of gemstones from Russia between December 2013 and February 2016 to sell in China.
"The network is very complicated," said Wang Dingjun, vice head of the anti-smuggling bureau of the Haikou Customs.
"The gems, which were declared to be electronic components and clothing with fake invoices, were transported by air, sea and land. They even sent the cargo to Hong Kong first to avoid inspection," he said.
"Further investigation is under way," Dingjun said.
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