Hong Kong customs arrests Macau chauffeur after seizing gold bars worth HK$10 million hidden inside his car
- Twenty gold bars found hidden behind the car’s glove box were possibly intended for mainland China
- Officers are looking into whether case is connected to a similar seizure made last month, insider reveals
Customs officers have arrested a Macau resident and seized gold bars worth HK$10 million (US$1.3 million) hidden inside his car before he left Hong Kong via the world’s longest sea crossing, marking the second such seizure in about six weeks.
Customs officials on Friday said the 20 gold bars, confiscated at a control point the previous day, were possibly intended for mainland China, where smugglers could make a profit from the price difference.
“Due to the impact of rising gold prices on the mainland, customs does not rule out the possibility of criminals taking risk by smuggling gold across the border and then reselling it to make a profit from the price difference,” Inspector Wong Yik-fai of customs’ Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge cargo division said.
He said customs officers had enhanced inspection on vehicles at various control points to combat such cross-border smuggling activities.
The 20kg (44lbs) haul was discovered after a seven-seater car was stopped for inspection at the border checkpoint before departing the city via the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge at around 10pm on Thursday.
Wong said the car was taken for an X-ray examination because its driver behaved suspiciously.
The car examination revealed suspicious images near the glove box in front of the passenger seat, he added.
