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Clifford Lo

Customs officers have confiscated more than 2,500 cylinders of refrigerant, which is classified as a dangerous good, along with cigarette lighters and perfume vials in a US-bound seaborne shipment at a major Hong Kong terminal.
The HK$40 million (US$5.2 million) haul destined for Long Beach in Los Angeles was part of HK$80 million worth of smuggled goods seized in two separate cases within three days, the Customs and Excise Department said on Tuesday.
Senior Investigator Lam Chun-hing of customs’ syndicate crimes investigation bureau said the refrigerant found in the shipment was classified as a dangerous good, as it could be used as asphyxiant and oxidising substances.
“It can escalate the risk and intensity of fires when it comes into contact with combustible materials,” Lam said.
He said such dangerous goods were rarely discovered in smuggling cases in recent years.
According to the department, the other shipment containing HK$40 million worth of electronic products was bound for Busan in South Korea.
Both shipments were intercepted at the Kwai Chung container terminals before being loaded onto ocean-going vessels.
On July 9, customs officers intercepted the US-bound shipment which was declared as containing low-valued goods, such as mats and storage bags in two shipping containers.
The containers were taken to the Kwai Chung Customhouse cargo examination compound for further inspection after X-ray screening revealed suspicious images.
“In the two containers, a total of 2,560 cylinders of refrigerant, [each housed in its own cardboard box], were found along with cartons of perfume, cigarette lighters and phone accessories,” the senior investigator said.
He added the refrigerants had an estimated value of about HK$25 million, while the other smuggled goods were worth about HK$15 million.
Lam believed that the smuggling operation was designed to evade US tariffs and import restrictions.
The seized contraband was subject to tariffs of up to 10 per cent, he said.
“Smugglers could have evaded as much as HK$2 million in tariffs if all the goods had successfully been smuggled into the United States,” he said.
Lam said the investigations into the origin and final destinations of the goods were still under way.
On July 11, a container was selected for inspection before being loaded onto a ship bound for Busan. It was declared as carrying plastic gloves and rubber products.
Customs officers discovered HK$40 million worth of electronic products such as phone parts and accessories and computer components in the container.
Lam said preliminary investigations showed the two cases were not linked.
No arrests have been made in the two cases as investigations are ongoing.
Last month, customs officers intercepted three other smuggling cases in which criminals used ocean-going vessels to transport contraband.
Between June 10 and 23, customs officers confiscated about HK$100 million worth of smuggled goods, including mobile phones, computer components and vehicle parts, in three separate shipments destined for Malaysia.
A 60-year-old man, a logistics company director, was arrested in connection with one of the shipments.
In Hong Kong, importing or exporting unmanifested cargo is punishable by up to seven years in jail and a HK$2 million fine under the Import and Export Ordinance.


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Refrigerant found in shipment classified as dangerous as it can be used as asphyxiant and oxidising substances, senior investigator says


Refrigerant found in shipment classified as dangerous as it can be used as asphyxiant and oxidising substances, senior investigator says.
