Hong Kong customs arrests Macau chauffeur after seizing gold bars worth HK$10 million hidden inside his car
- Twenty gold bars found hidden behind the car’s glove box were possibly intended for mainland China
- Officers are looking into whether case is connected to a similar seizure made last month, insider reveals
Customs officers have arrested a Macau resident and seized gold bars worth HK$10 million (US$1.3 million) hidden inside his car before he left Hong Kong via the world’s longest sea crossing, marking the second such seizure in about six weeks.
Customs officials on Friday said the 20 gold bars, confiscated at a control point the previous day, were possibly intended for mainland China, where smugglers could make a profit from the price difference.
“Due to the impact of rising gold prices on the mainland, customs does not rule out the possibility of criminals taking risk by smuggling gold across the border and then reselling it to make a profit from the price difference,” Inspector Wong Yik-fai of customs’ Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge cargo division said.
He said customs officers had enhanced inspection on vehicles at various control points to combat such cross-border smuggling activities.
The 20kg (44lbs) haul was discovered after a seven-seater car was stopped for inspection at the border checkpoint before departing the city via the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge at around 10pm on Thursday.
Wong said the car was taken for an X-ray examination because its driver behaved suspiciously.
The car examination revealed suspicious images near the glove box in front of the passenger seat, he added.
“After removing the glove box, the 20kg of gold was discovered hidden in a space behind the glove compartment,” Wong said.
“Criminals concealed the smuggled items within the internal structure of a vehicle in an attempt to evade detection.”
The 34-year-old driver, a Macau identity card holder who works as a chauffeur, was detained on suspicion of attempting to export unmanifested cargo, an offence punishable by up to seven years in jail and a HK$2 million fine.
Inspector Ho Ting-chun of customs’ syndicate crimes investigation bureau said the cross-border smuggling operation was designed to avoid strict import restrictions imposed by mainland authorities.
“We don’t rule out the possibility that criminals used the car to smuggle the gold bars into Macau before bringing the haul into the mainland through other [illegal] channels,” he said.
He said an investigation was under way to determine the origin of the gold, as well as the consignee and owner of the haul.
Last month, customs officers made a seizure with a similar route and concealment method.
Customs officers intercepted a Macau-bound vehicle at the same control point on January 8, seizing the same amount of gold bars hidden in a secret compartment under the centre console next to the driver seat.
The 32-year-old driver, also a Macau identity card holder, was arrested on suspicion of exporting unmanifested cargo.
A source familiar with the case said officers were looking into whether the two cases were linked and if the same smuggling syndicate was behind both incidents.
