Hong Kong customs seizes smuggled meat worth HK$3.8 million, arrests two
- Officers on Tuesday night intercepted a barge and a mainland cargo vessel carrying 110 tonnes of frozen meat
- The two men were arrested near the city’s airport, but another man escaped on a speedboat
The arrests were made after officers intercepted a barge and a mainland cargo vessel near the Hong Kong International Airport, near the construction site of the airport’s third runway.
However, a suspected maritime smuggler escaped by jumping into the sea from the cargo vessel around 10.30pm on Tuesday, as a high-speed pursuit craft carrying customs officers moved in.
The man was wearing a life jacket when he jumped into water, according to a law enforcement source. Emergency personnel including firefighters and marine police mounted a search but found no trace of him.
“We suspect the man was picked up by one of the speedboats controlled by his accomplices and ferried back to the mainland,” the source said, without elaborating on how many speedboats were present.
“We believe there were other smugglers who jumped onto the other speedboats from the cargo vessel and the barge after noticing law enforcers approaching.”