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Christopher Dobson

ONE of the last major fleets of tai feis has been smashed by Chinese officials acting on information from Hong Kong police, Chinese officials have reported.

  The operation two weeks ago netted 23 of the illegal, purpose-built speedboats, although three vessels managed to escape the dragnet and speed off.

  Up to 10 luxury cars were also found and a number of arrests are thought to have been made.

  The raid involved scores of mainland Public Security Bureau (PSB) officers, supported by People's Liberation Army (PLA) troops, and is believed to have been one of the most successful anti-smuggling operations in the region bordering Hong Kong.

  It represents a major blow to mainland-based smuggling syndicates, and a boost to cross-border liaison.

  The combined task force, acting under the personal orders of Guangdong PSB deputy director Cheung Sing-yam, raided the smugglers' base in the port village of Fan Wo, near Ao Tou, in Huidong county.

  Mr Cheung led the officers into Fan Wo at 5 am, while the No 3 signal was raised for Typhoon Dot, which one Hong Kong officer said might account for the number of boats seized as few left the port that night because of the storm.

  Ao Tou was identified by Hong Kong police as a major base for tai feis some time ago, although it had always managed to avoid detection by mainland security officials.

  The other major smuggling base is suspected to be at a nearby village and is still believed to be operating. The three tai feis that escaped the raid on Fan Wo could have fled to this port.

  Previously, other drives against well-established smuggling villages have been thwarted by corrupt officials who have warned residents before the police moving in, allowing them to hide the illegal speed boats and contraband.

  The operation took place on September 25, two days after a high-level delegation from Hong Kong, including a senior Anti Smuggling Task Force (ASTF) officer, passed up-to-date information on the location of the fleet to the PSB.

  Details of the seizures were passed to the Commissioner of Police, Li Kwan-ha, when he visited Guangdong last week to discuss cross-border crime with his PSB counterparts. It was also at this meeting Chinese officials announced the arrest of robbery suspect Yip Yuk-sang, 34, nicknamed ''Goosehead'', who was also arrested in Huidong.

  The tai fei intelligence was given to Chinese authorities during an official liaison visit by a delegation led by the Hong Kong police Director of Operations, Peter Lee Lam-chuen, on September 23.

  A number of other senior officers, including Regional Commander Marine Police, Basil Lim Sak-yeung, head of the Organised Crime and Triad Group, Chief Superintendent T. K. Chan, and head of the ASTF, Senior Superintendent Laurie Poots, also went to provide detailed information.

  ASTF officers, who provided the intelligence that led to the raid, believe the swoop has virtually wiped out the purpose-built speedboats that have plundered Hong Kong for more than three years.

  ''It was a major base,'' Superintendent Poots said. ''They seized a substantial amount of the fleet.''   Another tai fei was seized last week by the Royal Navy after HMS Peacock came across six speedboats off Lamma Island which had rendezvoused with a lighter carrying eight reconditioned cars.

   The remaining five speedboats, including one reported to be carrying a car, escaped.

  But officers given the task of stopping the once rampant water-borne smuggling now believe most of the large four and five-engined speed boats, which at one time acted with a degree of impunity, have been seized, sunk, or are in need of repair.

  Some have had their engines removed so they can be fitted on to mini tai feis or smaller chung feis, which use only one or two engines but can carry large amounts of electrical goods and cigarettes.

  Overall, the amount of illegal speedboat activity has dropped dramatically since the start of the year, which ASTF officers believe is due to the success of Operation Disavow.

  There has been a 40 per cent drop in tai fei sightings in the first eight months of this year, down from 3,885 to 1,619.



Taskforce 'breaks back of speedboat smugglers'