Courier company fined for not checking parcels

NANJING - Post authority in eastern China's Jiangsu Province recently imposed a hefty fine on an express delivery company for failing to check parcels as required by the law.

The post administration of Suqian city fined the unnamed courier company 150,000 yuan (about $23,000) last week after receiving evidence from local police that the company's loophole had been used by drug traffickers to send drugs.

Two suspects, identified by their surnames as Chen and Liu, had hidden methamphetamines in toys and sent them through the courier company for multiple times, according to police officer Lu Hua.

"We investigated the courier company and found that at last three branches of the company had not checked the parcels nor identify the senders, which apparently broke the the Anti-Terrorism Law.

The company's CEO and managers of the branches were also fined 10,000 yuan each.

Lu said this was the first such penalty imposed in Suqian since the Anti-Terrorism Law was enforced on Jan 1, 2016.

According to the law, rail, road, sea, air and express delivery operators must check the identity of their clients, and perform a safety check for all transported goods.

Those who violate the law are subject to a fine of between 100,000 to 500,000 yuan.

Gu Dalong, assistant professor of law in Southeast University, said the courier company was correctly fined.

In October last year, a courier company in Fujian Province was fined 110,000 yuan for delivering 100 parcels containing marijuana.

"Express delivery is an industry that relates to almost every household. Supervision of the industry needs to be stepped up," said Zhu Lijia from the Chinese Academy of Governance.