NANNING, March 26 (Xinhua) -- Chinese border police in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region said Monday that they had seized 500 pieces of mink fur smuggled from Vietnam.

Five boxes of fur were found last week during a border police patrol in Fangchenggang City, according to the city's public security bureau.

The police noticed that several people were transporting suspicious goods under a bridge and approached them to inquire. The suspects then fled.

The mink fur weighs more than 280 kilograms, with the largest piece measuring 50 cm long and 5 cm wide and weighing about 400 grams.

Mink fur, a valuable material for high-end garments, is usually imported with high duties, which has led to smuggling.