Hong Kong smugglers flee on speedboat, abandoning HK$600,000 worth of cough syrup
Police intercept exchange of goods between vehicle parked at Tsuen Wan waterfront and boat arriving from mainland
Six smugglers made a dramatic getaway on a mainland-bound speedboat on Sunday night, leaving behind 35 boxes of cough syrup worth HK$600,000 after Hong Kong authorities closed in on them along the Tsuen Wan waterfront.
Officers said the haul had been bound for the mainland and the smuggling activity intercepted about five hours after marine police divisions launched an operation.
Police had been monitoring a seven-seater car carrying boxes of goods as it drove into the Rambler Channel cargo loading area and pulled over at a waterfront along Wing Shun Street in Tsuen Wan shortly before 9pm.
A speedboat with a man on board arrived at the pier, and five men got out of the car to load boxes from the vehicle onto the boat.
As officers swooped in, the men jumped on board the speedboat and headed for the mainland, abandoning their loot on the shore.
Officers impounded the vehicle, worth about HK$50,000, and seized 35 boxes of cough syrup with an estimated market value of HK$600,000.
Police said the Customs and Excise Department would follow up on the case.
