JINAN, Oct. 15 (Xinhua) -- Qingdao customs in eastern China's Shandong Province has busted a gang that smuggled spices worth 220 million yuan (around 31 million U.S. dollars).

The spices smuggled from India and Indonesia weigh more than 10,000 tonnes, the custom said on Monday.

Qingdao customs received tip-offs in April that a businessman surnamed Xu was suspected of smuggling spices from India.

After months of investigation, the customs police uncovered the smuggling ring and launched a raid in September, with eight suspects arrested.