A former manager of a general aviation company in the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region was charged with smuggling a secondhand helicopter worth 92,000 euros ($122,000) from an Italian company in late January, Legal Daily reported on Tuesday.

The man, surnamed Liu, became the first Chinese national charged with smuggling a helicopter in the country.

He was seized in Zhuzhou, Hunan province, as he was trying to escape from police and is currently being held by a local procuratorate in Fujian province. He said the helicopter that he attempted to smuggle through Shishi port in Fujian province would have been used for research and exhibition.

Shishi customs found a large amount of smuggled wines, circuit boards, watches, motorcycles and parts of a small helicopter in their regular check of 28 containers of a trade company in Quanzhou on Jan 21.