Hong Kong customs arrests 2 for allegedly smuggling pedigree pets worth HK$210,000 from mainland China
- Two smuggling attempts of six kittens and puppy discovered in city’s restricted border area of Sha Tau Kok on March 24 and 26
- ‘An initial examination by a government vet indicated all the animals are in good health,’ senior inspector says
Hong Kong customs officers have arrested two people on suspicion of smuggling seven pedigree pets worth HK$210,000 (US$27,000) into the city from mainland China.
Senior Inspector Hong Yan of customs’ syndicate crimes investigation bureau said on Friday two animal-smuggling attempts were discovered in the city’s restricted border area of Sha Tau Kok on March 24 and 26.
Hong said officers seized six kittens and one puppy hidden in travel bags allegedly carried by the two suspects – a 60-year-old man and a 61-year-old woman.
He said the suspects were intercepted after they cycled across into the Hong Kong side of Chung Ying Street, which straddled the city and the mainland in Sha Tau Kok.
According to the Customs and Excise Department, the puppy was a bichon frise, while the kittens comprised a Maine coon, two British shorthairs and three ragdolls.
“The kittens and the puppy are aged between two and 2½ months. An initial examination by a government vet indicated all the animals are in good health,” Hong said.
He said each animal could be sold for around HK$30,000 in Hong Kong and the estimated value of the pets was about HK$210,000.
The two suspects were detained on suspicion of importing animals without a permit – an offence punishable by up to a year in jail and a HK$50,000 fine under the Rabies Regulation.
The pair had been released on bail pending further investigation, according to the department.
Because of the similarity in the smuggling tactics in both cases, Hong said the two suspects could have been paid by the same syndicate to bring the animals into the city.
A source familiar with the case said customs officers were investigating whether the seized animals were smuggled from the mainland for online buyers in Hong Kong.
In December, customs officers arrested two people and seized three kittens and two puppies worth a combined HK$220,000 in an operation in the restricted border area.
Authorities detected at least three high-profile cross-border smuggling cases involving puppies and kittens in 2022.
Hong Kong customs arrests suspected smugglers of pricey pets
Customs and police officers confiscated 75 pedigree kittens and puppies valued at HK$1.2 million in total as smugglers attempted to bring them into the mainland in October 2022.
A source at the time said the pets were destined for the Shekou area of Shenzhen for breeding.
Two months earlier, police seized 84 kittens and 42 puppies found inside 46 crates on a speedboat from the mainland in the city’s northwestern Ha Pak Lai coastal area in Lau Fau Shan.
Hong Kong’s largest seizure of pets was made in another joint anti-smuggling operation by police and customs in May that year.
Officers found 101 kittens and 35 puppies, shipped from the mainland, on board a speedboat intercepted in northwestern waters near Sha Chau.
A man, 30, on the vessel was arrested on suspicion of importing unmanifested cargo, animal cruelty and endangering the safety of others at sea.
