Hong Kong customs arrests Macau chauffeur on mega bridge after seizing HK$10 million in gold bars hidden in car
- Twenty gold bars, each weighing 1kg, found hidden in secret compartment inside car, superintendent says
- He adds haul was possibly intended for mainland China, where smugglers can make profit from price difference
Hong Kong customs officers have arrested a chauffeur and confiscated gold bars worth HK$10 million (US$1.3 million) hidden inside his car at a control point at the world’s longest sea crossing, the first such seizure in more than three years.
Superintendent Jason Lau Yuk-lung of customs’ syndicate crimes investigation bureau on Tuesday said officers found 20 gold bars, each weighing 1kg (2.2lbs), hidden in a secret compartment under the centre console next to the driver seat.
He added the haul was discovered after the seven-seater car was stopped for inspection at the border checkpoint before leaving the city via the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge on Monday afternoon.
Inspector Wu Ming-chung of customs’ Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge cargo division said the car was taken for an X-ray examination after its 32-year-old driver, a Macau identity card holder, acted suspiciously. The examination of the car showed suspicious images.
Lau said the console box’s opening was facing the rear passenger seat.
“After removing the opening’s cover, a box containing 20 gold bars was in the secret compartment,” Lau said.
He also said the estimated value of the seized gold bars was about HK$10 million.