Hong Kong Customs Seizes Smuggled Goods Worth About $87.5 Million in Ongoing Operation

Hong Kong Customs steps up enforcement operations to combat sea smuggling activities

Hong Kong Customs has mounted a special enforcement operation since late June against sea smuggling activities involving river trade vessels.

Since the operation began, through intelligence analysis and risk assessment, Customs has detected five cases involving river trade vessels departing from Hong Kong for Macao, seizing approximately 1.33 million suspected pharmaceutical products, 3 900 anti-obesity injections, 8 880 cosmetics injections, 59 kilograms of tobacco products, 9 700 cigarettes, 1 500 fishing tools and 723kg of suspected controlled sea cucumber, with an estimated value of about $87.5 million.

Investigations are ongoing. The likelihood of arrests is not ruled out.

Being a government department primarily responsible for tackling smuggling activities, Customs has long been combating various smuggling activities on all fronts. Customs will keep up its enforcement action and continue to resolutely combat sea smuggling activities through proactive risk management and intelligence-based enforcement strategies, and carry out targeted anti-smuggling operations at suitable times to crack down on relevant crimes.

Smuggling is a serious offence. Under the Import and Export Ordinance, any person found guilty of importing or exporting unmanifested cargo is liable upon conviction to a maximum fine of $2 million and imprisonment for seven years. Any person who imports pharmaceutical products and medicines without a valid import licence commits an offence. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $500,000 and imprisonment for two years.

Members of the public may report any suspected smuggling activities to Customs' 24-hour hotline 182 8080 or its dedicated crime-reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hk) or online form (eform.cefs.gov.hk/form/ced002).

Hong Kong Customs has mounted a special enforcement operation since late June against sea smuggling activities involving river trade vessels. Since the operation began, Customs has detected five cases involving river trade vessels departing from Hong Kong for Macao, seizing large batches of smuggled goods with an estimated value of about $87.5 million. Photo shows the suspected smuggled goods seized. Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Hong Kong Customs detects dangerous drugs case and seizes suspected drugs worth about $5.4 million

Hong Kong Customs detected a dangerous drugs case yesterday (July 21) and seized a total of about 28.6 kilograms of suspected cannabis buds, about 1 gram of suspected crack cocaine, and about 3g of suspected methamphetamine with an estimated market value of about $5.4 million. Two persons suspected to be connected with the case were arrested.

Hong Kong Customs and Mainland departments on narcotics control and anti-smuggling carried out an intelligence exchange and intercepted a consignment, which was declared as tea, arriving in Hong Kong from Thailand via the Mainland on July 20. The batch of suspected cannabis buds was found inside the consignment after inspection. Upon follow-up investigations, Customs officers conducted a controlled delivery operation and arrested two local men aged 32 and 37 in Sheung Shui yesterday. About 1g of suspected crack cocaine and about 3g of suspected methamphetamine were also found in a private vehicle of one of the arrestees.

The arrestees have been jointly charged with one count of trafficking in a dangerous drug, and one of them has been further charged with one count of possession of a dangerous drug. The case will be brought up at the Fanling Magistrates' Courts tomorrow (July 23).

Under the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance, trafficking in a dangerous drug is a serious offence. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $5 million and life imprisonment.

Members of the public may report any suspected drug trafficking activities to Customs' 24-hour hotline 182 8080 or its dedicated crime-reporting email account(crimereport@customs.gov.hk) or online form (eform.cefs.gov.hk/form/ced002).

Hong Kong Customs detects dangerous drugs case and seizes suspected drugs worth about $5.4 million Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Hong Kong Customs detects dangerous drugs case and seizes suspected drugs worth about $5.4 million Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases