BEIJING, Dec.7 -- China Coast guard (CCG) forces in south China’s Fujian Province successfully busted a major case involving the illegal mining of sea sand after more than six months of investigation in cooperation with the Fujian Provincial Department of Public Security recently. Fifty-nine suspects were arrested, and the illegally mined sea sand reached 75 million tons,worth more than 5 billion RMB yuan ( USD 764.5 million).
This is a record case of the sea sand illegal mining in terms of the quantity and the money involved so far. It is a major result of the continuous and in-depth promotion of the Blue Sea 2020 initiative, an eight-month-long special maritime law enforcement campaign to enhance marine environmental protection.
In recent years, the CCG has focused on maintaining high pressure on sea-related criminal syndicate. Over the past three years, the CCG has investigated on more than 190 clues, arrested more than 140 suspects, and eliminated more than 10 major criminal syndicates.
The coast guard agencies at all levels also have taken various measures to encourage public reporting through 95110 hotline or other platforms, and developed professional cooperation with competent authorities such as the departments of public security, marine fisheries, maritime affairs and so on, to expand sources of clues and improve comprehensive combat efficiency.