KUNMING, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- Police in southwest China's Yunnan Province have arrested three suspects for smuggling edible birds' nests, which are highly prized due to their nutritional value, local authorities said Wednesday.

On Aug. 12, police in Maguan County, Wenshan Zhuang and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, received a tip-off that a batch of goods would be smuggled from Vietnam into Yunnan later that night.

At around 2:50 a.m. on Aug. 13, police officers intercepted four suspicious vehicles in Maguan and seized 18 cartons of smuggled birds' nests. Three suspects were caught on the spot while two others fled the scene.

The suspects admitted that the birds' nests had been smuggled into China from Vietnam.

Further investigation into the case is underway.