Customs officers attached to the Shek Chung Au Check Post of the Sha Tau Kok Control Point today (January 31) seized four bags of fresh pork and chicken weighing 31 kg onboard two public light buses running between Sha Tau Kok Village and Sheung Shui.
No arrest has been made so far, and the seized meat will later be disposed by Food and Environmental Hygiene Department.
Hong Kong Customs believed that the smuggled meat was to meet the demand in the local market for the upcoming Lunar New Year
"To combat the smuggling of meat from the Mainland due to Lunar New Year, Customs officers of the Control Points Command are undergoing a series of operations and making strategic deployment to curb the inflow of such meat," a Customs spokesman said today (January 31).
"Members of the public are reminded to buy meat from licensed fresh meat stores," he said.
Anyone possessing meat not of lawful origin for sale is liable to a maximum fine of $50,000 and imprisonment for six months.
Ends/Monday, January 31, 2005