Hong Kong Customs yesterday (November 22) mounted an anti-smuggling operation in Lau Fau Shan and detected a suspected smuggling case involving a speedboat. A batch of suspected smuggled goods, with an estimated market value of about $16 million, was seized.
Customs yesterday conducted an anti-smuggling operation in Lau Fau Shan and spotted several suspicious men on the waterfront moving carton boxes onto a speedboat. Customs officers then took action and the men immediately jumped onto the speedboat and fled to the Mainland waters. A batch of suspected smuggled goods, including mobile phones, computer tablets, dried deer tails, dried bird's nest, suspected scheduled dried totoaba fish maws and suspected scheduled shark fin was seized on the ground nearby.
An investigation is ongoing.
Being a government department specifically responsible for tackling smuggling, Customs has all along been combating various smuggling activities proactively at the forefront. Customs will keep up its enforcement action and continue to fiercely combat sea smuggling activities through proactive risk management and intelligence-based enforcement strategies, along with mounting targeted anti-smuggling operations at suitable times to land a solid blow against relevant activities.
Smuggling is a serious offence. Under the Import and Export Ordinance, any person found guilty of importing or exporting unmanifested cargo is liable to a maximum fine of $2 million and imprisonment for seven years.
Members of the public may report any suspected smuggling activities to Customs' 24-hour hotline 2545 6182 or its dedicated crime-reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hk) or online form (eform.cefs.gov.hk/form/ced002/).
Ends/Thursday, November 23, 2023
