Hong Kong customs officers seize 4.2 tonnes of dried shark skin worth HK$1.7 million in Thai shipment
- Products were from protected spinner sharks and required a permit to be imported into the city
- Customs officer says goods seized would mainly have been used for cooking purposes
Hong Kong customs officers have confiscated 4.2 tonnes of dried shark skin from endangered species in a shipment from Thailand, resulting in the arrest of the director of a local company.
Superintendent Jason Lau Yuk-lung of customs’ syndicate crimes investigation bureau on Tuesday said the HK$1.7 million (US$217,554) haul, discovered the day before, was the biggest seizure of the protected product in recent years.
“We believe the shark skin seized in the operation would have been mainly used for cooking purposes,” Lau said.
A shipment declared to be carrying dried shark skin arrived in Hong Kong from Thailand on Monday last week, according to the Customs and Excise Department.
The superintendent said it was selected for inspection to determine whether the product was from endangered species and if it was imported into the city with a permit issued by the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD).
The cargo container, filled with more than 170 nylon bags and boxes of dried shark skin, was then taken to the Customshouse Cargo Examination Compound in Kwai Chung, where it was opened for inspection on Monday.
Lau said samples were checked with the help of AFCD experts and confirmed to have been removed from protected spinner sharks that required a permit to be imported into the city. But the shipment did not have such a permit.