CHINA. Hong Kong Customs and Mainland Customs last week revealed a HK$120 million (US$15.5 million) haul of luxury goods, endangered species and expensive food ingredients from the most valuable speedboat smuggling seizure on record.
The Moodie Davitt Chinese Editor Penelope Zhou (Editor of our acclaimed WeChat service) was on hand at a press conference, where Hong Kong Customs revealed the haul.
The seizure included about 66,000 pieces of high-value (and authentic) fashion accessories, luxury goods and beauty products, including famous names such as Louis Vuitton, Celine, Chanel, Cartier, Hermès, Gucci, Piaget, Cartier, The Macallan and a range of fine French wines.
Additionally, around 2.3 tonnes of expensive food ingredients and about 186 kilograms of scheduled endangered species were seized.
According to a reliable source, some of the most valuable luxury items stemmed from unofficial sources in South Korea.
Hong Kong Customs and Excise Assistant Commissioner Chan Tsz-tat stressed at the briefing held on 10 June that the department was “fiercely” combating cross-boundary smuggling activities and would continue working closely with law enforcement agencies in the Mainland through intelligence exchanges and joint enforcement actions.
Hong Kong Customs and Mainland Customs have mounted a joint anti-smuggling operation codenamed ‘Xun Lei’ since March this year. Hong Kong Customs conducted enforcement operations from June 2 to 7 and detected the suspected speedboat smuggling case.
In view of a recent upward trend of sea smuggling activities, Hong Kong Customs had stepped up intelligence exchanges with the anti-smuggling departments of the Mainland Customs, and targeted a cross-boundary smuggling syndicate for an in-depth investigation.
The Xun Lei operation was jointly conducted by Hong Kong Customs, the Anti-Smuggling Bureau of the General Administration of Customs of the People’s Republic of China (GACC), the Anti-Smuggling Bureau of the Guangdong Sub-Administration of the GACC, and the Anti-Smuggling Bureau of Shenzhen Customs.
From March to April, Mainland Customs raided three storehouses suspected to be used for storing smuggled goods in places including Guangdong, Guangxi and Anhui. A total of 11 people were arrested and about 2.42 tonnes of suspected smuggled pangolin scales with an estimated market value of about RMB50 million (US$7.8 million) were seized.
Hong Kong Customs then conducted operations from June 2 to 7. Customs officers on June 2 spotted several suspicious men moving cartons of goods from a lorry to a speedboat using a ladder with metal rollers at a seashore in Lau Fau Shan. Thought the smugglers were able to escape via speedboat, a lorry suspected to be connected with the case was intercepted at the scene.
A large batch of suspected smuggled goods, including luxury handbags, valuable watches, expensive food ingredients and highly endangered species, was seized from the lorry. After a follow-up investigation, Customs officers raided three storehouses and a residential unit in the New Territories. A large batch of suspected smuggled goods was then seized in the storehouses.
Together with the smuggled goods seized by Mainland Customs, the total value of the haul amounted to over HK$180 million (US$28.1 million).
Four men suspected to be in connection with the case, aged between 35 and 62, were arrested by Hong Kong Customs during the operation.
Hong Kong Customs said that 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 HK$2 million (US$257,000) and imprisonment for seven years.
