Hong Kong customs arrests 2 passengers over suspected smuggling of tiger teeth, pangolin meat and live turtles
- Customs officers arrest 50-year-old man who arrived on flight from Ethiopia allegedly carrying tiger teeth and pangolin meat worth about HK$50,000
- A 45-year-old woman arriving from Tokyo arrested in separate alleged incident after authorities found 64 live turtles worth HK$650,000
Two air passengers have been arrested on suspicion of smuggling tiger teeth, pangolin meat and live turtles, Hong Kong customs revealed on Sunday.
Officials said they had arrested a 50-year-old man who arrived from Nigeria via Ethiopia and intended to take the cross-border ferry to Shekou last Friday.
Customs officers discovered 230 grams of tiger teeth and 128 grams of pangolin meat during an inspection of the man’s baggage at the SkyPier Terminal at Hong Kong International Airport.
The estimated market value of the seized items was about HK$50,000 (US$6,400).
Tiger teeth and pangolin meat fall under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora and their importation is regulated by Hong Kong’s Protection of Endangered Species of Animals and Plants Ordinance.
A 45-year-old woman who flew in from Tokyo the next day was arrested after authorities alleged she had 64 live turtles in her possession, suspected to be endangered species listed under the ordinance.