Chronicle

2005

January 2005

• Formally implemented the Unified Road Cargo Manifest.
• Commissioned the new boundary bridges at Lok Ma Chau and Sha Tau Kok Control Points.
  Implemented Stage II of CEPA.
• A Hong Kong man was arrested at the airport in Cairns, Australia for importing 3.6 litres of liquid methylamphetamine based on Hong Kong Customs intelligence.
• Anti-Internet Piracy Team launched the wold-first enforcement action against illegal P2P activities.

February 2005

• Commissioned new boundary bridge at Man Kam To Control Point.
• Arrests made under operation ‘Bayonet’ with seizure of 87.5 kg ketamine with retail value of $3,000 million.

March 2005

• Two Hong Kong men with 400 grams of heroin were arrested at Sydney International Airport based on Hong Kong Customs intelligence.
• Seized 3.2 million sticks of cigarettes, valued at $4.74 million and with duty potential amounting to $2.54 million, at Lok Ma Chau Control Point.
• Seized 16 kilograms of ketamine with retail value of $5.6 million from a Malaysian man arriving from Bombay, India.
• Seized 758 sets of mobile phone with retail value of $1.66 million from a departing private car at Sha Tau Kok Control Point.
• Lok Ma Chau Customs Detector Dog Base commenced operation.

April 2005

• Smashed a drug storage cum distribution centre and seized 77.73 kilograms of herbal cannabis with retail value of $4.66 million.
• Set up the second Anti-Internet Piracy Team.
• Seized 5.4 kilograms of cannabis resin with retail value of $0.47 million from a Nepalese passenger arriving from Bangkok.

May 2005

• Seized 9.39 kilograms of assorted dangerous drugs with retail value of $3.23 million under joint operation ‘Scabbard’ with Shenzhen Customs.
• Seized 50 kilograms of ketamine, with retail value of $12.2 million, inside a departing container truck at Lok Ma Chau Control Point.
• Seized 2.6 kilograms of herbal cannabis with retail value of $0.17 million from an inbound express parcel arriving from Ghana, West Africa.

June 2005

• Seized 5 units of optical disc mastering and replication machine, at $1.16 million, from an outgoing container truck at Lok Ma Chau Control Point.

July 2005

• Started off a notification mechanism with Mainland Customs for monitoring high-risk cigarette consignments.
• For the first time applied the Organized and Serious Crimes Ordinance to a counterfeiting case to freeze the $22 million crime proceeds of a major syndicate trading in counterfeit goods.
• Seized 12 pieces of silver slabs weighing 384 kilograms and 2 000 optical disc-drive components valued at $1.14 million from a departing container truck at Sha Tau Kok Control Point.

August 2005

• Seized 2.2 kilograms of heroin with retail value of $0.85 million from a Filipino arriving from Bangkok.
• Commissioned C&ED Tsing Yi Station at Container Terminal No. 9 of Hong Kong.
• Seized 300 computer hard disks bearing forged trademarks and false trade descriptions, 3 207 mobile phones and 2 800 pieces of Random Access Memory with total value of $2.88 million from an incoming private car at Lok Ma Chau Control Point.

September 2005

• 4 additional southbound “One-stop”private car kiosks at Lok Ma Chau Control Point commenced operation.
• Seized 1.18 million sticks of cigarettes, with value of $1.77 million and duty potential of $0.95 million, from an incoming lorry at Man Kam To Control Point.

October 2005

• Launched a Reward Scheme in collaboration with the Hong Kong Reprographic Rights Licensing Society.
• Seized 400 forged credit cards from three outbound speedposts destined for London with seven Mainlanders arrested as a result of controlled delivery in London, UK.
• Seized 1 kilogram of cocaine, with retail value of $0.7 million, from the shoulder bag carried by an incoming Hong Kong male traveler at Man Kam To Control Point.

November 2005

• Introduced Red and Green Channel System at all sea,land and air control points.
• Launched the“E-auctioning with Integrity”Scheme with four local auction sites and the Intellectual Property Rights industry.
• Launched the“Jewellery Integrity Campaign”with the jewellery industry and the Consumer Council.
  A delegation of General Administration of Customs, led by Minister Mu Xin-sheng, visited Hong Kong Customs.
• Officers of Man Kam To Control Point detected a computer hard disk smuggling case with seizure of over 1 million. A total of 2 836 hard disks were seized from a lorry departing for the Mainland. The seizures, valued at $1.48 million were uncovered from a concealment constructed inside the left and right inner wall cavity of the refrigeration compartment.
• Assistant Commissioner (Boundary and Port) representing the department signed a Memorandum of Understanding under the “Release Goods Before Duty Payment” Scheme with the Federal Express Pacific, Inc. (FedEx). FedEx is the third participant joining the Scheme after the DHL Aviation (Hong Kong) Ltd. and the TNT Express Worldwide (HK) Ltd..

December 2005

• Conducted joint operation ‘BladeRun’ with Anti-smuggling Bureau of Shenzhen Customs, leading to the seizure of 10 kilograms of ketamine with retail value of $ 2.6 million in Yau Ma Tei; and seizure of 2 kilograms of ketamine and 0.6 kilogram of cannabis in Shenzhen, and the arrest of 12 persons.
• Seized 12.5 kilograms of ketamine, with retail value of $3.3 million, from an inbound express parcel arriving from Singapore via Subic Bay.
• To provide Customs facilitation to the staging of the World Trade Organization 6th Ministerial Conference (MC6), a Task Force was formed with 59 officers redeployed within APC and 68 officers from other formations on December 2005. APC was tasked with manning the MC6 Airport Co-ordination Room and the Joint Command Centre, setting up teams for clearance on MC6 participants (both VIPs and non-VIPs), facilitating cargo clearance for WTO equipment and resuming round-the-clock egress control at Gatehouses by static guard posts, etc.
• Officers of Man Kam To Control Point seized from an outgoing 40-foot container tractor 26 drums of American Ginseng (total 1 179 kg) with a value of $10.32 million. The seizures were concealed inside a secret compartment constructed at the innermost part of the 40-foot empty container.

2006

January 2006

• Implemented Stage III of CEPA .
• Smashed a transnational cocaine trafficking syndicate with a record seizure of 142 kilograms of cocaine in Hong Kong and the Mainland, with a total retail value of $105 million, under joint operation ‘ScentHound’ with Shenzhen Customs, Drug Enforcement Administration of US.

March 2006

• Seized 2.7 million sticks of cigarettes valued at $4 million and with duty potential of $2.2 million, from an incoming lorry at Lok Ma Chau Control Point.
• Seized 5 kilograms of ketamine, with retailvalue of $0.9 million, from an inbound cargo consignment arriving from India.
• Seized 2 450 kilograms of unmanifested game, poultry, seafood, vegetables, chilled pork and beef together with 5 200 sticks of dutiable cigarettes of a total value of HK$75 000 from an incoming medium goods vehicle at Man Kam To Control Point in a joint operation with the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department.

April 2006

• Organized a seminar “Duty Assessment on Alcoholic Beverages” for liquor traders.
• Seized a shipment of non-civil aircraft, loaded in Ukraine for transshipment to USA, valued at $5 million, in Hong Kong.
• Seized 3.1 kilograms of heroin, with retail value of $1.4 million, from a Taiwanese woman arriving from Cambodia.
• The First Detector Dog Training Course organized by General Administration of Customs for Hong Kong Customs was held at the Ruili Detector Dog Base in Yunnan from April to May 2006.

May 2006

• Set up Customs booth in the Vinexpo Asia-Pacific 2006 at Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre.
• Seized a shipment of four tonnes of elephant tusks worth about $8 million inside a container arriving from Cameroon.

June 2006

• Computer Forensic Laboratory of HongKong Customs became the first among its counterparts acquiring ISO9001 and BS7799.
• The Finance Committee of Legislative Council granted funding approval of $1 073 million for constructing the Customs Headquarters Building.
• Established a Special Task Force in the Trade Controls Branch in view of upsurge in domestic exports of textiles and clothing items.
• Seized 17 silver slabs weighing 255 kilograms, valued at $0.51 million, from a departing container truck at Man Kam To Control Point.
• Seized 3.2 kilograms of ketamine, with retail value of $620 000 from an incoming Hong Kong male traveler at Lok Ma Chau Control Point.
• Seized 2.6 kilograms of heroin, with retail value of $1.3 million, from a Filipino arriving from Bangkok, Thailand.
• Seized 6 dismantled left-hand-drive private cars, valued at $0.8 million, from a departing container truck at Lok Ma Chau Control Point.
• Completed the Expansion Project for the Sha Tau Kok Control Point.
• Mr Jia Qinglin, Chairman of the Chinese Peoples’ Political Consultative Conference, accompanied by the Chief Executive, conducted an airport tour prior to departure for Beijing after a 3-day official visit to the HKSAR. The Commissioner and Assistant Commissioner (Boundary and Port) led officers of Airport Command to participate in the reception programme. A snapshot introducing the missions of the department to facilitate air passenger and cargo flow was made. Customs narcotics dog demonstration was also arranged for the delegation.

July 2006

• Launched the “Fast Action Scheme” jointly with the Hong Kong Brands Protection Alliance.
• Launched the “Youth Ambassador Against Internet Piracy” Scheme with 11 local youth uniformed groups and the Intellectual Property Right industry.
• Seized 16 500 infringing game cartridges valued at $1.6 million from an export consignment destined for Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
• Officers of Lok Ma Chau Control Point detected a silver plate slabs smuggling case with seizure of over 2 million. In that case, 42 silver plate slabs (total 630 kg) were seized from a container tractor departing for the Mainland. The seizures, valued at $2.24 million were concealed in a highly sophisticated compartment constructed inside the front, middle and rear wheel shafts of the 40-foot trailer.

August 2006

• Smashed a transnational cocaine trafficking syndicate and seized 1 kg cocaine and 6 kg cocaine in Hong Kong and Thailand respectively with retail value of $5.1 million under joint operation ‘Coke-Advance’ with a law enforcement agency of Thailand and Drug Enforcement Administration of the US.
• Seized 45 kilograms of herbal cannabis with retail value of $3 million, from two South African women arriving from Johannesburg, South Africa.

September 2006

• Commissioned the new Administration Block of the C&E Training School after renovation.
• Launched the“Genuine Business Software Campaign”in collaboration with the Intellectual Property Department and the Business Software Alliance.
• Seized 102.8 grams of methylamphetamine and 1.3 grams of cannabis, with retail value of about $40 000, from an incoming Mainland female traveler at Hunghom Railway Station.
• Seized 1 200 pieces of Random Access Memory stick and 600 pieces of central processing unit, valued at $0.6 million, from a departing lorry at Sha Tau Kok Control Point.
• The Chief Executive visited the C&ED and the Kwai Chung Customhouse.
• Smashed a transnational drug trafficking syndicate and cracked 16 internal concealment of heroin cases, with seizure of over 23 kilograms of heroin, with retail value of about $10 million, from Sep to Nov 2006.

October 2006

• Sha Tau Kok Customs Detector Dog Base commenced operation.
• Seized 23 grams of heroin hydrochloride, with retail value of $12 000, from an incoming Hong Kong male traveller at the Lo Wu Control Point.

November 2006

• Tuen Mun Cross-Boundary Ferry Terminal commenced operation. C & ED provides customs clearance services to passengers travelling between HK and Zhuhai.
• Cracked 15 high-grade heroin internally concealed trafficking cases at the Hong Kong International Airport, with 30 kilograms of high-grade heroin with retail value of HK$14 million seized under the Operation ‘Moon Cracker’.
• Seized 4 kilograms of heroin and 4 750 tablets of MDMA, with retail value of $2.3 million, from a HK man and two Taiwanese men arriving from Cambodia.