A group that illegally imported a total of 1,150 tons of Chinese agricultural products and nursery stock without quarantine procedures has been caught. By seized volume, it is the largest case since the establishment of the Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency.
On the 12th, the Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency said it had caught a total of 12 people—three intermediary importers and nine actual importers—who illegally brought in quarantinable agricultural products such as dried jujubes, raw peanuts, and dried red peppers from China, as well as banned items like fresh fruit and apple nursery stock, through Incheon Port from Dec. 2023 to Jan. 2025. The agency plans to refer nine of them to the Incheon District Prosecutors' Office this month.
The seized contraband totaled 1,150 tons, with an estimated black-market value of about 15.8 billion won. In January, the agency's regional investigation team uncovered 33 tons of Chinese dried agricultural products on site during a search and seizure at a warehouse in Gimpo. A subsequent forensic analysis of suspects' mobile phones confirmed that over about a year, Chinese agricultural products and nursery stock equivalent to an average of 10 containers a month had been systematically brought in.
The investigation found they colluded with Chinese exporters and used a so-called "curtain trick," disguising the contraband as pet supplies to import it. They falsely declared to customs that only pet supplies were being imported, while actually bringing in agricultural products together.
Among the seized items, Chinese apple nursery stock and fresh fruit are classified as host plants of fire blight and are subject to a total import ban. Dried agricultural products such as dried red peppers and dried jujubes also cannot be imported or distributed without quarantine procedures. Illegally bringing in agricultural products without quarantine can result in up to three years in prison or a fine of up to 30 million won under the Plant Protection Act.
Meanwhile, during this investigation the agency for the first time applied an eco-friendly disposal method by composting the 33 tons of dried agricultural products seized, instead of incineration. It said it produced about 300 tons of compost and supplied it free of charge to nearby farms, achieving both incineration expense savings and farm support.
To respond to organized illegal imports, the agency established a dedicated investigative unit, the regional investigation team, in Apr. last year. The team filed criminal charges in 63 cases through Dec. last year and referred 34 cases (47 people) to prosecutors.
Choi Jeong-rok, head of the Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency, said, "The indiscriminate inflow of unquarantined agricultural products, nursery stock, and fresh fruit is directly linked to the entry of exotic pests and diseases and damage to domestic agriculture," and added, "We will expand dedicated investigative personnel and strengthen investigative capabilities to respond sternly to organized violations of the law."