More than 12,000 artillery shells were seized from a truck in the central province of Hubei on Sunday, local media reported yesterday.
The truck was heading to the northeastern provonce of Jilin from the southwestern municpality of Chongqing when traffic police stopped it.
A highway patrol officer in Lichuan city, operating under the jurisdiction of Hubei, told the Enshi Evening News that the thousands of armour-piercing projectiles and high-explosive shells were seized in a container on a red truck late on Sunday evening.
No details were given on whether the driver had a government- or military-issued licence.
But in an unexpected twist late yesterday evening, a news portal affiliated with official local newspaper Enshi Daily said Lichuan police had ascertained the ammunitions were of 'normal military goods transportation' and the truck had been released on Monday - three days before the Enshi Evening News report.
The original report said the container had a hazardous chemical goods sign, which attracted police attention, as trucks carrying such items were not allowed on the expressway. More than 10 tonnes of ammunition were found packed in 236 boxes.
