POLICE have launched a probe into a sighting of smugglers toting what may have been an AK-47 assault rifle and wearing bullet-proof vests, it was revealed yesterday.
The incident comes during a sharp rise in activity and has created new fears for members of the Anti-Smuggling Taskforce.
They have been warned to be especially careful when they engage tai fei speed boats around Hong Kong.
Fishermen angling from a pier at Sha Cheong near Siu Lam early on Sunday, told police they saw men loading a Mercedes-Benz on to a tai fei as one carried what is believed to have been an AK-47.
They said the smugglers also appeared to be wearing bulky bullet-proof-type vests, although they may have been life-jackets.
A crane-truck, stolen just before the incident and used to lift the car on to the tai fei, was left at the site.