Guangzhou, Apr 16 (IANS): In a joint operation by local police and coast guards in south China's Guangdong Province, over 45,000 cartons of smuggled cigarettes in two separate cases were seized recently, the Guangdong Coast Guard has said.

Following a tip-off that a speedboat was smuggling goods via the Tongming Port, coast guards in Zhanjiang immediately swung into action in cooperation with the local public security bureau and intercepted the boat loaded with cigarettes, Xinhua news agency reported.

Upon investigation, crew members of the boat failed to furnish legal documentation related to the cigarettes on board, prompting the law enforcement officers to seize the speedboat and the goods in accordance with the law. There were more than 23,000 cartons of cigarettes worth approximately 4.5 million yuan (about $706,000).

In another smuggling case, law enforcement officers seized over 22,000 cartons of cigarettes worth about 4.1 million yuan.