Shenzhen Bay Customs Seizes 30 kg of Undeclared Agarwood Chips: All Aquilaria Species Listed Under CITES Appendix II

Thirty undeclared kilograms uncovered in a routine check

According to the customs release, the driver of a cross-border vehicle exiting through Shenzhen Bay Port made no declaration while passing the supervision zone. After officers selected the vehicle for inspection, 30 kg of suspected agarwood chips were found in two pieces of luggage in the boot. Testing by the Shenzhen Customs Animal and Plant Inspection and Quarantine Technology Centre identified the items as wood of the genus Aquilaria, family Thymelaeaceae. All species of Aquilaria are listed under Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), which subjects their commercial trade to strict global controls, and the case has been handed to the follow-up disposal department.

Compliance note: trading, carrying and mailing all require legal proof of origin

Customs stressed that except where a valid wild fauna and flora import-export certificate is held, trading, carrying or mailing endangered species and their products across the border is prohibited, with criminal liability for serious cases that constitute a crime. Media have reported comparable seizures of Aquilaria products from traveller baggage at Haikou Customs. For traders and collectors, cross-border movement depends on permits, paperwork and provenance being complete: an export permit issued by the exporting country's CITES management authority, destination clearance documents, and traceable proof of origin. Domestically, buyers are advised to rely on testing reports from laboratories holding CMA or CNAS accreditation and to look at quantified indicators such as agarotetrol content and ethanol-soluble extract, rather than single-factor judgements based on colour, weight or scent. Oversight frameworks are advancing as well, with reports indicating Dianbai issued a full-chain supervision plan in September 2026 covering planting registration and origin certification.

(This is industry observation and popular-science summary, not investment advice. Buy agarwood through legal channels with traceable, testable sources.)