Hong Kong customs officers put the bite on shark fin smugglers in HK$100 million raids on cargo ships
- Haul including dried shark fins, electronic items, wine and frozen meat seized from string of cargo ships scheduled to leave Hong Kong
- Three men aged between 40 and 54 taken into custody in connection with raids; customs says investigations continue and more arrests possible
Hong Kong customs officials have seized about HK$100 million (US$12.8 million) in contraband, including dried shark fins, and arrested three men after a raid on several cargo ships.
Customs said on Friday the goods impounded in the operation, code-named Wave Breaker, also included electronic products, wine and frozen meat.
The haul included seven tonnes (7.7 tons) of dried shark fins, half a million electronic devices, 240 pallets of electronic waste, 2,000 bottles of wine and three tonnes of frozen meat.
The seizures came after officials between August and September identified six ships scheduled to leave the city for Malaysia, Shanghai, Nansha and Macau.
The department said officials were investigating six separate cases and did not rule out the possibility of further arrests.
The three men arrested, aged between 40 and 54, were released on bail.
Conviction for the importation or exportation of shark fins can lead to a fine of up to HK$10 million and 10 years in jail.
Unmanifested cargo coming into or leaving Hong is also an offence, with punishments of up to seven years in prison and a HK$2 million fine.
More than five tonnes of dried shark fins, worth an estimated HK$21 million, were seized by customs officials in June.
