Customs and Police officers cracked a smuggling syndicate, leading to a record seizure of over 160,000 kg of unmanifested frozen meat, including chicken wings and offal, worth about $18 million, in an inter-departmental anti-smuggling operation with the Government Flying Service today (February 5).
Apart from impounding two cargo vessels and one motorised sampan, the officers arrested 15 local men, aged from 31 to 69, including registered vessel owners, ship masters and crewmen. The investigation is still on-going.
Customs and Police officers spotted at the Chai Wan Public Cargo Working Area cartons of frozen meat being transferred from ten 40-foot containers into the cargo holds of two Hong Kong cargo vessels. The cargo holds were not installed with refrigerating devices.
When questioned, the ship masters of the two cargo vessels claimed that all the goods on board were about to be conveyed to a warehouse at Tung Ping Chau but the two vessels kept cruising around the waters of Hong Kong.
Today (February 5) afternoon, the two vessels attempted to leave the Hong Kong waters, heading for the Mainland. Customs and Police eventually intercepted the vessels in the eastern waters of Hong Kong and seized the goods on board which were not covered by export manifests.
Initial investigations showed that the frozen meat, believed to be from South America, had been repacked in a container yard in the New Territories before being loaded onto the cargo vessels.
Under the Import and Export Ordinance, smuggling is a serious crime. The maximum penalty for the offence is up to a fine of $2 million and an imprisonment for seven years.
Ends/Thursday, February 5, 2009