The floodgates have opened in China's crackdown on agricultural import smuggling and customs evasion, with local media reporting that 33 people have been arrested in a recent high-profile case.

The local press have not named any specific companies involved, but highlighted one of the firms in question is owned by the "Dalian Liu family", which imports frozen beef, seafood and fruit.

Broadcaster CCTV cited figures from the General Administration of Customs that showed 638 cases of agricultural smuggling were recorded in 2014, with an estimated product value of CNY37.96 billion (US$6 billion).

The administration estimated the value of suspected tax evasion at CNY8.27 billion (US$1.32 billion), which constitutes a 53.6% rise year-on-year .

CCTV reported these figures represented a 77.7% in the number of cases and an 88% uptick in total product value.

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