All parcels from Shein arriving at Roissy-CDG airport are being inspected on Thursday as part of a large-scale operation launched in the morning in the presence of ministers from Bercy, a day after proceedings to suspend the platform were initiated, AFP observed.

These checks are intended to support the ongoing proceedings against Shein, and “initial findings point to non-compliant and illicit products,” including unauthorised cosmetics, toys that are dangerous for children, counterfeit items and defective domestic appliances, said Public Accounts Minister Amélie de Montchalin, in a post on the social network X.

She had travelled to Roissy-CDG airport in the morning, accompanied by Trade Minister Serge Papin. In particular, they watched customs officers unpack numerous white parcels bearing the letter S of the Asian platform’s brand.

“This shows that we are not selling products to consumers; it means we are importing commercial goods, and in that case we apply the rules on commercial imports,” added de Montchalin.

Conducted jointly by the DGCCRF, customs and the air transport gendarmerie, the operation will see 200,000 parcels inspected and product compliance verified, notably by checking the “veracity of declarations and compliance with tax and customs obligations,” said the Public Accounts Minister.

Roissy-CDG is Europe’s second-largest airport, handling an average of two million tonnes of freight each year, and has experienced an unprecedented surge in e-commerce flows since 2022, the minister’s office told AFP.

Each year, 95% of parcel flows from China pass through the airport before being distributed across the country, according to de Montchalin.