Binjiang Police Affairs-Chapter 1117 - 16: Counterfeit and Inferior! (Part 2)

Han Yu climbed ashore, quickly walked over and asked, "Director Zhao, Director Zou, where are those two seamen?"

Zhao Hongxing turned around and said, "They're squatting over there."

Looking in the direction Zhao Hongxing pointed, he saw two men in their thirties squatting dejectedly on the nearby freight yard. They weren't handcuffed, but three armed police soldiers from the border inspection station were watching them, standing guard with guns.

"Director Zhao, what's going on exactly, have they confessed?"

"They've confessed. They said this batch of fish powder isn't good quality, so they wanted to sell it at a high price by passing it off as better quality in places like Yangzhou, but I suspect they're avoiding the main issue. After all, neither Customs nor our police can check fish powder quality, and selling counterfeit products is beyond our jurisdiction. It doesn't make sense for them to flee upon being inspected just because of this."

"Has the cabin been checked?"

"Checked, including the engine room, found nothing suspicious." Zhao Hongxing pointed to the cargo hold and added, "Those two guys are shifty, clearly up to something, so we need the dock's help to lift up the fish powder and see if there's anything hidden underneath."

Anti-smuggling operations are not fully conducted on water; there are forces on land as well.

Zhao Hongxing is the leader of a strike group on land. He not only drew six officers from the Water Police Station but also tapped twenty-one police officers from several District County Police Departments, all hailing from precincts or criminal police teams responsible for riverside areas.

Han Yu walked over to sniff at a stack of fish powder that had been lifted out, the stench nauseated him, making him want to vomit, and he quickly returned to Zhao Hongxing's side, whispering, "Director Zhao, is Wang Yan's side all set up?"

"Rest assured, it's been set up early. Both Zhang Yidong and Director Tao from Dongqi Police Bureau are very supportive; they are deputy leaders of the anti-smuggling leadership team, they have to support."

Just as Zhao Hongxing was about to say that Shi Shengyong and Liu Xihui came by in the morning, his phone suddenly rang.

Han Yu reminded him, "Director Zhao, answer the phone first."

"Oh."

Zhao Hongxing pulled out his phone, glanced at the caller display, and then pressed the call key, raising the phone to his ear, "Xiao Liu, do we have feedback from colleagues in Hui'an? Really, great, please forward their reply to Linghai Port Supervision Office, I'll arrange someone to fetch it."

Curious, Han Yu asked, "What reply?"

Lowering his phone, Zhao Hongxing walked with Han Yu towards the two seamen while explaining, "These two aren't honest, we definitely need to dig into their backgrounds. Based on the information on their ID cards and Seaman's Certificates, we sent a coordination letter through fax to their hometown's Police Bureau, didn't expect such help, got a reply so soon."

"What's going on exactly?"

"One has a criminal record, the other... well, one is not technically a fugitive but almost."

Not bothering to go into details, Zhao Hongxing approached the two seamen, shouting, "Tang Yusheng, Tang Qingbao, you two brothers are something. One got a year for transporting stolen goods. The other even managed to slip away unnoticed when collected by the East Sea Police Department, pretty much like a prison break. Lift your heads up, Tang Qingbao, didn't you run before? Run now and show me!"

The two seamen hadn't expected the police to uncover these details so quickly and became terrified.

"Two hundred tons of fish powder, lifting it will be quick, if there's anything else in the hold it will be found swiftly. Are you going to confess now or wait until we catch you with evidence?" 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

"Officer, there's really nothing else in the hold, all we carry is fish powder."

"Really nothing else?"

"Really, I swear if there is anything else I'll be struck by lightning."

"Then why did you flee when you saw us at the river checking?"

"We were scared..."

"Officer, Xiaobao escaped from the shelter, you already know all this."

"Just afraid we'd catch you?"

"Yes."

Being locked in a shelter and being in a detention center have different natures, but most people think escaping from a shelter is similar to escaping from a detention center or prison, it's normal for them to fear capture.

Han Yu looked back at the fish powder being hoisted ashore and asked, "Where did the fish powder come from?"

"Bought it."

"From whom?"

"From a boss in Zhehai." Tang Yusheng dared not be reckless anymore, honestly said, "The boss isn't originally from Zhehai, just has a factory there, he's an East Guang person. We've transported goods for him several times, knowing fish powder has high profits, wanted to earn more, bought two hundred tons from him."

"Why no shipping order?"

"Their factory is by the river, we directly loaded from the factory without going to the port."

"Even if you didn't load at the port, there should be a shipping order. Your Seaman's Certificate shows you're an experienced transporter and driver, you should be aware of relevant shipping regulations."

Police, Port Supervision, Customs, and Armed Police were all here, even armed.

Tang Yusheng sensed passing through this crisis wouldn't be easy and hesitated a moment, despondently said, "We know there should be a shipping order, but the boss wouldn't issue one to us. We pay and receive goods at once, he wouldn't even provide a receipt."

Han Yu realized this batch of fish powder might have serious issues and pressed on, "What was the selling price per ton?"

"Two thousand two hundred."

"How much?"

"Two thousand two hundred."

Han Yu couldn't believe his ears and immediately stepped aside to pull out his phone and searched for numbers.

Zhao Hongxing didn't understand this, chased over with local dialect asking, "Salted Fish, what's up?"

"Fish powder is a primary raw material for feed, prices increased significantly over past years, imported fish powder now costs over eight thousand per ton. Domestic fish powder, due to raw materials and processing, isn't as good as imported ones, still five to six thousand per ton with very little production."

"So this batch of fish powder has severe quality issues, probably doesn't even contain any fish?"

"I even worry this batch might have toxic components; if it enters the market and turns into feed it might kill poultry and livestock, causing huge economic losses to farmers."

"How come you know all this?"

"I'm not an expert but deal with Fishery Administration often, officers at Fishery Station said due to uncontrolled overfishing, nearshore fishery resources are increasingly depleted. Additionally, nearshore aquaculture development causes Dongshan and Zhehai's fish powder producers to struggle for raw materials."

Han Yu thought again and said, "Didn't I handle a case in East Guang years back? The place I went beneath has a township called Gangma, several years ago stirred higher-ups with rampantly making and selling adulterated fish powder mixed with mud, officials ordered strict crackdowns."

Zhao Hongxing couldn't believe the fish powder industry was so complicated, asked, "That township named Gangma, under which district?"

"Seems like Bai Dian County, idential with Gaozhou where I handled a previous case."

"Let me inquire."

"What to inquire?"

"Ask those two guys where the boss who sold them fish powder is from."

Zhao Hongxing pulled out a cigarette, explaining, "Once illegal acts form a climate in a place, regardless of crackdowns, hard to eradicate. Some offenders reappear after being dealt with, some escapees rebuild operations in other places, having tasted profit."

"Alright, you go inquire, I'll phone and report to Director Zhou."

"Director Zhou is Deputy Director of the Agricultural Bureau, not his jurisdiction."

"But surely he knows leaders of Technical Supervision Bureau, even leaders of Industry and Commerce Bureau."

"Better report directly to Mayor Qin since this case was uncovered during anti-smuggling actions, plus members from Industry and Commerce and Technical Supervision Bureau have joined the anti-smuggling task force."

"Alright, report directly to Mayor Qin."