Hong Kong customs seizes suspected smuggled goods worth HK$6 million, including fish maw, shark fins

Hong Kong customs officers have seized HK$6 million (US$768,000) value of smuggled items, together with fish maws and shark fins, with officers noting a surge in contraband within the run-up to Lunar New Yr.

A 52-year-old lady, director of a consignor firm, was additionally arrested following the confiscation of the products at Kwai Chung Customhouse Cargo Examination Compound final week.

The smuggled objects, which had been destined for Vietnam, had been detected when a container underwent an X-ray examination.

“The smugglers blended them with regular declared items as a canopy,” Wong Wing-yan of the syndicate crimes investigation bureau mentioned.

Wong added that about 10 per cent of the smuggled items had been skincare merchandise, 45 per cent had been dried seafood and the remainder had been pharmaceutical objects.

“We now have found that the confiscated shark fins and pharmaceutical merchandise fall below regulated classes requiring permits,” she mentioned. “This raises our suspicion that it might be the motive of smuggling.”

As much as HK$3 million may have been evaded if the products had been efficiently smuggled, she added.

The customs officers mentioned they seen an increase within the smuggling of festive merchandise because the Lunar New Yr approached.

Wong mentioned in addition they noticed a shift within the smuggling sample.

“Beforehand, offenders smuggled on to mainland China utilizing ocean vessels, now they export items by way of ocean-going vessels to Southeast Asian nations resembling Vietnam, Singapore, or Malaysia earlier than discovering methods to move the objects again to the mainland,” she added.

On this case, customs mentioned that officers marked 4 containers, which had been being ready to be shipped to Vietnam by an ocean-going vessel, for inspection on December 27, because of danger evaluation.

2 arrested at Hong Kong airport over dried shark fins value HK$2.6 million

The suspect was launched on bail, whereas customs mentioned it didn’t rule out additional arrests as investigations continued.

Individually, customs on Tuesday stopped a cross-boundary truck suspected of getting used for smuggling as a part of an operation on the Lok Ma Chau management level. A 42-year-old driver is aiding within the investigation.

About 180,000 items of built-in circuits, 300 items of cell phone shows, 100 units of safety alarm techniques and 80 closed-circuit tv cameras, with an estimated market worth of about HK$1.5 million, had been seized.

Hong Kong customs arrests 7, seizes unlawful cigarettes value HK$100 million

On December 20, a cross-border smuggling case involving a tour bus was uncovered on the Shenzhen Bay management level. Officers seized 150kg (331lbs) of chicken nests and 710 packing containers of suspected prescription drugs, valued at HK$7.8 million.

Customs warned importing or exporting unmanifested cargo was a critical offence below the Import and Export Ordinance punishable by seven years in jail and a most tremendous of HK$2 million.