NANNING, Sept. 7 (Xinhua) -- Anti-smuggling police in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region have seized 70 crab-eating macaques, also known as long-tailed macaques, at the China-Vietnam border, local authorities said Thursday.

According to the statement released by Nanning Customs, police intercepted a minibus, in which they found 70 live macaques in the city of Fangchenggang in late July.

It was alleged that the wild animals were smuggled from Vietnam. The suspect fled the site but was arrested Thursday by police.

The crab-eating macaques mainly live in Southeast Asian countries such as Thailand, Laos and Vietnam. The global demand for animal test subjects is driving an illegal cross-border trade in wild macaques.

They are under second-class state protection in China. According to Chinese law, those who smuggle 10 crab-eating macaques and above can face more than 10 years in prisons, plus fines.

Police warned that smuggling wildlife and products will not only lead to the extinction of the animals and break the ecological balance, but it also poses a risk to human health as some wild animals may carry diseases that can infect humans.