US EditionChinese Court Sentences 27 People for Smuggling Antimony Ingots
The Shenzhen court sentenced 27 defendants to prison terms and fines for smuggling over 166 metric tonnes of antimony, with more than 96 tonnes seized by Chinese customs.
- This year, the Shenzhen Intermediate People's Court sentenced 27 defendants for exporting antimony ingots without export licences, sentencing Wang Wubin to 12 years and fining him 1 million yuan.
- After Beijing added antimony to export controls in September 2024, defendants organised shipments and smuggled ingots without licences in February and March this year.
- Authorities said the case involved more than 166 metric tonnes of antimony, with Chinese customs seizing more than 96 tonnes, Hong Kong authorities seizing a cargo in April, and 26 co-defendants receiving penalties from four months to five years.
- The commodity's strategic applications amplify the significance of these enforcement actions, as Reuters reported unusually large antimony flows into the United States from Thailand and Mexico after China barred shipments last year.
- Last month, China said it suspended a ban on exports to the United States after a leaders' meeting, yet antimony, gallium and germanium still require licences maintained by Beijing.
15 Articles
15 Articles
Because of smugglings of more than 160 tons of antimony, several people have to be behind bars for years. Why the rare half-metal is so important for China.
Because of smugglings of more than 160 tons of antimony, several people have to be behind bars for years. Why the rare half-metal is so important for China.
Firstpost News
China jails 27 people for smuggling antimony — critical mineral for battery and chip making
A court in China sentenced 27 people to prison and imposed fines for smuggling antimony ingots without export licences, highlighting Beijing’s stricter enforcement of its controls on strategic minerals. The main defendant, Wang Wubin, received a 12-year sentence for organising the illegal shipments.
A court in southern China sentenced 27 people to several years of imprisonment for violations of export controls. The group smuggled bars of the antimony metal out of the country, the People's Court in the coastal metropolis Shenzhen reported.
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