‘Wolverine claws’, ninja stars and switchblades ... Hong Kong customs seizes 8,000 weapons from mainland bound for US, Canada
The HK$800,000 haul is the second of its kind in city in three weeks
“Wolverine claws”, throwing stars and switchblades were among 8,000 weapons found concealed in two shipping containers from mainland China that were destined for the United States and Canada, the Hong Kong government said on Friday.
The haul – the second seizure of its kind in the city in three weeks – had an estimated market value of about HK$800,000, according to the Customs and Excise Department.
On May 12, about 33,000 such weapons worth about HK$2.2 million were found in a container arriving from the mainland en route to the US.
The latest find was made on Thursday when customs officers from the cargo examination unit selected the two containers for inspection after the shipment arrived at Hongkong International Terminals from Guangdong province.
One of the containers originated from Jiangmen and was destined for the United States while the other was shipped from Huangpu and bound for Canada.
A photo released by authorities showed that the seizure included the detachable “wolverine claws”, throwing stars – or the ninja shuriken – switchblades, and other bladed weapons.
The name for the claws was coined in media reports, referring to a comic book and movie character from Marvel.
“Under the Weapons Ordinance, any person found guilty of possessing any prohibited weapon is liable to a maximum fine of HK$10,000 and imprisonment of three years,” a statement issued by the department on Friday said.
A spokesman for the department said that so far no one had been arrested in connection with the case and an investigation was under way.
In the previous incident, the shipping container carrying 33,000 weapons also arrived from Huangpu, a district in Shanghai, according to the department.