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On August 1, 2013, the Ministry of Finance reported that Taichung Customs x-rayed four containers from China that contained furniture and discovered 240 boxes of shredded mushrooms concealed within 21 pieces of furniture in one of the containers. Four customs offices were needed to pry the solid tabletops (which were very heavy) which concealed the mushrooms under the interlayer. The 240 boxes of shredded mushrooms weighed 3.9 tons and had an estimated market price of approximately NTD 3 million.
Shredded mushroom from China are classified as a restricted import item. Because of the large demand in Taiwan, unscrupulous vendors smuggle cheap and poor mushrooms from China to make a huge profit and these mushrooms are mainly sold to the snack bars or goody shops. Taichung Customs claimed that the concealed goods would be detained according to the Customs Anti-Smuggling Act. After determining the price, the smuggler would be fined an amount equal to the price of the concealed goods. In addition, the press release stated that the smuggler “would be brought to justice for violation of smuggling regulations.” |
