Frozen meat worth more than HK$2 billion seized in anti-smuggling operation in Hong Kong
- Haul found in container yard in Lok Ma Chau near mainland Chinese border and one suspected triad member arrested
- More than 200 containers packed with beef, pork, lamb and offal, shipped from various countries, including Germany, Chile and Australia
Hong Kong authorities have seized a record 5,600 tonnes of frozen meat worth more than HK$2 billion (US$257 million) and arrested one suspect as part of an intensifying crackdown on cross-border smuggling following the death of a police officer last month.
The illegal shipment, which weighed three times as much as a similar haul made two weeks ago, was discovered in a container yard spanning nearly 2 hectares (5 acres) in Lok Ma Chau near the border with mainland China on Tuesday, the force said.
Acting on intelligence, police and officers from the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department descended on the yard on Mai Po Lung Road where more than 200 refrigerated containers filled with beef, pork, lamb and offal were being stored, according to Chief Inspector Lin Kin-tak of Yuen Long police district.
Each container held an estimated 25 tonnes of frozen meat worth between HK$8 million and HK$10 million, putting the total value in excess of HK$2 billion.
Police arrested the 34-year-old director of the container yard on suspicion of operating a cold store without a licence. A source said initial investigation suggested he was a member of the Wo Shing Wo triad gang.
The meat came from various countries, including Germany, Chile and Australia, and 70 tonnes of it lacked health certificates, according to a department official.
Lin said the yard had been in operation since June, adding: “We will look into why the haul was stored there and investigate where its final destination was.”
Officers also arrested one suspected triad member and seized two speedboats as part of that operation, which came less than two weeks after Senior Inspector Lam Yuen-yee was killed during a maritime operation targeting cross-border smuggling.
Lam and three colleagues were thrown overboard when their vessel was rammed by a turbocharged speedboat they were trying to intercept off Sha Chau. Her body was found two days later floating in the waters off Lantau Island.
In July, the Post reported that gangs controlled by triads were running a massive smuggling operation delivering more than 1,000 tonnes of frozen meat a day to the mainland with the use of dozens of high-powered speedboats.
But the source said such speedboats were no longer seen in Hong Kong waters since the fatal collision.
Meat smugglers have in the past tried to evade stringent import restrictions and taxes.
