Hong Kong Customs, Marine Police and Guangdong Customs conducted a two-day (September 2 and 3) joint operation against cross boundary smuggling activity by speedboats under the code name "Minesweeper". As a result, two cases were effected in Tuen Mun and Tai Tam with seizure of smuggling goods including 288 nos of live monitor lizards, 1,630 nos of hard disks and 697,500 nos of integrated circuits, one light goods vehicle and one altered 7-seater private car worth HK$2.2 million. Three Hong Kong men were arrested.
At about 8.30pm on September 2, Hong Kong Customs officers conducted observation in the vicinity of Ho Hoi Street, Tuen Mun and found a gang of smugglers delivering pallets of smuggled goods from a light goods vehicle onto a speedboat berthing at the pier in Ho Hoi Street.
The operation then turned overt, the gangers immediately jumped onto the laden speedboats and flee away. Customs launches gave chase to the speedboats but the speedboats were finally found leaving the Hong Kong waters. Meanwhile, Customs officers successfully arrested three Hong Kong men aged 25-48 on shore and seized 288 nos of live monitor lizards worth HK$288,000 inside the cargo compartment of the lights goods vehicle parked nearby the pier.
At about 9pm yesterday, Hong Kong Customs officers, Marine Police officers of Small Boat Division and Marine South Division conducted observation in the vicinity of Tai Tam in Hong Kong Island South and found a gang of smugglers delivering cartons of smuggled goods from an altered 7-seater private car (with the passenger seaters in the middle and rear rows removed) onto a speedboat berthing at the pier in Tai Tam.
The operation then turned overt, the speedboat laden with smuggled goods immediately flee away. Enforcement launches gave chase to the speedboats but the speedboats were finally found leaving the Hong Kong waters. Meanwhile, Customs and Police officers seized 1,630 nos of hard disks and 697,500 nos of integrated circuits worth HK$1.77 million inside the private car. Nobody was arrested in the case.
Hong Kong Customs and Police would continue to join hands with Guangdong Customs to take vigorous enforcement actions against cross-boundary sea smuggling activities of all kinds.
Under the Import and Export Ordinance, smuggling is a serious offence. The maximum penalty is a fine of HK$2 million and imprisonment for seven years.
Ends/Saturday, September 4, 2010
