GUANGZHOU - Six car smuggling gangs have been busted for bringing vehicles worth a total value of nearly 1 billion yuan ($164 million) illegally into China, customs officials said.

In cooperation with police, customs authorities in provinces of Guangdong, Yunnan, Liaoning and Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, have arrested 54 gang members since the beginning of the year, an official with the Guangdong branch of the General Administration of Customs said Wednesday.

More than 80 high-end vehicles including Rolls-Royce, Mercedes-Benz and BMW have been seized.

Investigations showed the gangs smuggled more than 3,000 vehicles from abroad over the past three years, reaching a total value of 966 million yuan, said the official.

The gangs, independent but with connections, had formed a smuggling chain covering the United States, Vietnam, Myanmar, Hong Kong, and provinces of Guangdong, Yunnan, Liaoning and Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, according to the official.

This year, customs authorities in China have cracked 30 car smuggling cases, seizing more than 2,800 vehicles with a total value of 1.28 billion yuan.