Smuggled wine bottles which have been seized by Huangpu Customs in Guangdong province are seen in this picture taken on June 12, 2017.[Photo by Xie Zheng/chinadaily.com.cn]

Big data analysis in March led authorities to four companies, including a wine trader in Dongguan, South China's Guangdong province, suspected of deflating import prices for wine by using fake documents or obtaining goods from parallel traders.

Huangpu Customs launched a crackdown on smuggling on June 12 in Zhuhai, Dongguan, Guangzhou and Shenzhen, detaining 29 suspects and seizing 490 metric tons of wine, including well-known brands such as Chateau Lafite Rothschild and Chateau Mouton Rothschild.

An initial investigation found one gang had smuggled 210,000 bottles through parallel trading since 2011, while four gangs had smuggled more than 1,800 tons combined by deflating import prices.

[email protected]

Two police officers check labels on the smuggled wine bottles.[Photo by Xie Zheng/chinadaily.com.cn]