Hong Kong customs makes biggest sea smuggling bust of year, seizing HK$20 million worth of contraband bound for mainland China
- Bird’s nest and dried abalone among the high-value products seized during customs operation in Lau Fau Shan
- Man, 32, arrested on suspicion of attempting to export unmanifested goods, other suspects fled on a speedboat
Hong Kong customs has made its biggest maritime smuggling bust of the year so far, seizing HK$20 million (US$2.6 million) worth of high-value contraband destined for mainland China.
A 32-year-old man was arrested in the operation at the Lau Fau Shan waterfront on Nim Wan Road at about 11pm on Tuesday, but other suspected members of the smuggling gang fled in a speedboat. Among the goods confiscated were bird’s nests and dried abalone, both widely seen as delicacies in Chinese cuisine.
Senior Superintendent Mark Woo Wai-kwan, head of the Customs and Excise Department’s syndicate crimes investigation bureau, said the site was less than 3.5km from the maritime boundary between Hong Kong and the mainland.
“The speedboat was equipped with three to four outboard engines and it took less than one minute to get from the site to the boundary,” he said.
After a two-month investigation, officers laid an ambush at the waterfront on Tuesday evening. A truck drove onto the site at 11pm, before the arrival of a speedboat. At least six people helped with loading.
Customs officers moved in as boxes of goods were being unloaded from the vehicle and onto the speedboat. A porter was picked up, but the others jumped aboard the boat and sped off. Officers impounded the truck.
Woo said a 2.5-metre ladder was fixed with rollers and used as a conveyor belt to speed up the loading.