Chinese authorities have been tight-lipped amidst an investigation into fruit smuggling in Dalian, but one official has revealed a few more details about the case.

The customs worker, who asked to remain anonymous, confirmed with www.freshfruitportal.com that the Liu family in Dalian was involved; the same family named by CCTV in the frozen beef import-related arrests that took place last month.

The anti-smuggling department of Chinese customs claims to have collected concrete evidence of tax evasion and the under-declaration of customs duties committed by the Liu Family in importing South American fruit into China.

Since the case is still under investigation, the source refrained from revealing the specific amount and types of fruit involved. China Customs is expected to release a statement when the case closes.

"In light of the amount of money involved in this case, which is much smaller than that of the frozen beef case, the Customs' PR staff has not yet decided on whether to release a separate statement on this case," the source said.

The source also said that equating Dalian Liu Family with the produce firm Yidu was "inaccurate".

On Feb 14, several state media outlets including Xinhua reported the arrest of members of the Dalian Liu Family, who allegedly smuggled over 6,000 metric tons (MT) of beef from the United States worth almost CNY200 million (US$32.6 million). A well-organized criminal gang was said to be fabricating false contracts and receipts in order to gain customs clearance.

It is also reported that the Liu Family runs several business operations, including produce, seafood and cold storage logistics. The source also pointed out that the Liu smuggling case centered around tax evasion and had nothing to do with food safety issues.

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