Customs officers foiled a smuggling attempt this morning (April 23) and seized $250,000 worth of smuggled alloy plates for industrial use.
At about 11am, Customs officers of Man Kam To Control Point intercepted and searched an incoming lorry declared to be carrying clothing and shoes. As a result, they found 60 boxes of smuggled alloy plates inside the cargo compartment.
During the operation, a 30-year-old male driver was arrested.
A spokesman for the Customs and Excise Department said, "Customs will continue to fight against cross-boundary smuggling activities through proactive intelligence collection and intelligence analysis."
Under the Import and Export Ordinance, any person found guilty of "importing unmanifested cargo" is liable to a fine of $2 million and imprisonment for seven years.
For prosecution upon summary conviction, the offender may be subject to a maximum penalty of a fine $500,000 and an imprisonment of two years.
Ends/Friday, April 23, 2004