Customs joint operation nets 90 people for smuggling 2,200 tonnes of illicit meat to mainland China
- Arrests were made in the first three weeks of April as part of a crackdown involving officials over the border
- Hong Kong authorities raided a gang working in waters off the airport on Wednesday night, but three speedboats slipped away
A cross-border crackdown on maritime smugglers led to the arrest of 90 people and the seizure of more than 2,200 tonnes of meat in mainland China in the first three weeks of April, according to Hong Kong customs.
In one operation busted by local authorities, a gang was shipping meat believed to be from India, banned on the mainland due to a skin disease affecting cattle herds, allowing them to evade hefty taxes that doubled the value of the haul, according a law enforcement source.
The crackdown came after local law enforcement noticed a rise in smuggling activities in Hong Kong’s western waters in recent months, with criminals taking illicit meat to the coastal province of Guangdong.
On Wednesday night, Hong Kong officers seized 162 tonnes of meat and arrested 15 local men working on two barges in the biggest seizure of its kind this year, according to assistant superintendent Wong Ngar-lun of the customs’ ports and maritime command.
The haul of beef and offal, thought to come from India and the United States, was estimated to be worth about HK$6.5 million (US$838,000), but the cargo could fetch more than HK$11 million on the mainland, the source said.
