Importers Use Shanghai Stones To Smuggle Cash To European, Chinese Banks

Customs teams that are operating at the level of Algiers Magico Port in the municipality of Rouiba that belongs to the Regional Directorate of Customs, seized a 40-foot container that is packed with tiles and stones, as the owner presented false declarations on the basis that they were new machines.

Investigations that were conducted by the Central Directorate of Control, that belongs to the General Directorate of Customs revealed the involvement of importers in the process of smuggling billions of dinars through the import of tiles and stones from Shanghai, on the basis of new hardware and drilling machines.

According to Echorouk sources, the process of seizing the containers dated back to the end of last week, during the inspection of containers by the customs teams that are working at the Rouiba Magico Port, that belongs to Algiers General Directorate of Customs, and discovered a large quantity of tiles that is imported on the basis that it is a new drilling machine, by using false statements to smuggle money abroad.

Investigations that were conducted by the Central Directorate of Control, which is attached to the General Directorate of Customs, revealed that the smugglers of hard currency were able to transfer 20 billion DZD to foreign banks, European, Arab and Chinese, in an initial proceeds of 2017 through “fraudulent” imports, using containers that are filled with tiles and stones and sand, such as those imported from China and specifically from the streets of Shanghai, in addition to “scrap”, as it was found that the owners made false statements, on the basis of importing public works equipment and new drilling machines.

In the context of the fighting against corruption and smuggling, the number of investigations that were recorded on corruption cases rose to 570 during the first trimester, most of which concerned inflating import bills for money laundering and smuggling hard currency, involving economic institutions, Algerian and foreign importers.

Same source said : “Over 2000 were referred to justice, and the people who are implicated in these cases are national and foreign importers, and fines that are imposed on them exceed 30 billion DZD, which represents the collection of about 30% of the value, which is is a circumvention that continued in recent months, despite the shrinking prices of many of the imported products, while the largest irregularities of exchange that were recorded is 35 billion DZD, which are suspected of being smuggling to abroad.