SHENZHEN Customs officials have detected seven foreigners carrying 7,000 pirated products in and out of Shenzhen through Luohu Checkpoint in the first three months of this year.

The number was more than for the same period last year, a Shenzhen Evening News report said Saturday, citing the customs. It did not elaborate.

Most of the confiscated products were counterfeit mobile phones, phone accessories, batteries and SIM cards, eye glasses, T-shirts and video game discs, the report said.

In one recent case, a Mongolian citizen was found trying to transport 352 counterfeit wallets in his suitcase. The report did not specify the penalties meted out on the violators.

Shenzhen has recently been concentrating more closely on the protection of intellectual property rights (IPR).

Earlier this month, Microsoft China expressed its appreciation for the city's efforts in combating IPR piracy, months after Chinese and U.S. authorities, in a series of joint operations, arrested 25 people for allegedly producing and selling counterfeit software.

(Mu Zi)