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Clifford Lo

Hong Kong customs officers have confiscated HK$150 million (US$19.3 million) worth of smuggled goods, including cameras, mobile phones and cosmetic products, from two separate shipments destined for Singapore and Taiwan.
The Customs and Excise Department said on Thursday that such contraband products were commonly smuggled to mainland China, which was believed to be the ultimate destination for the seized goods.
Inspector Lam Chun-hing of the department’s syndicate crimes investigation bureau said he believed the unmanifested goods were being shipped to Singapore and Taiwan first with the aim of avoiding detection.
“If the goods had successfully made their way to the mainland, up to HK$30 million in tariffs could have been evaded,” he said.
Lam said the two shipments were discovered during a crackdown on criminals seeking to use ocean-going vessels to smuggle contraband.
One of the shipments was discovered last Thursday when a cargo container, declared to be carrying multiple items such as screens, computers and disc players, was selected for inspection before it could be loaded onto a Taiwan-bound oceangoing vessel at a Kwai Chung shipping terminal.
Lam said officers discovered smuggled goods such as mobile phones, integrated circuits and circuit boards concealed among declared items listed in the shipping documents.
He added that the seized goods had an estimated street value of HK$100 million.
The other haul, discovered on September 9, was worth HK$50 million and included cameras, mobile phones, tablets and cosmetic products. The smuggled items were found inside two containers set to be loaded onto a Singapore-bound ship in Kwai Chung.
The shipment was declared to be carrying household electronic appliances.
No arrests have been made in connection with the two cases.

The department said its investigations into the sources of the items were ongoing.
“In the two cases, unmanifested goods were mixed with items listed in the shipping documents. We will not rule out the possibility that criminals attempted to use this tactic to evade detection,” Lam said.
He said customs would continue to exchange intelligence with mainland and overseas law enforcement agencies to combat smuggling activities.
In Hong Kong, importing or exporting unmanifested cargo is punishable by up to seven years in prison and a maximum fine of HK$2 million.
Earlier this month, customs officers seized HK$400 million worth of computer and electronic products from a seaborne shipment of citric acid destined for the mainland, the biggest haul of its kind so far this year.
Between April 1 and August 15, Hong Kong customs foiled 10 other attempts to smuggle goods to Malaysia involving HK$547 million worth of contraband products.


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Customs officers showcase smuggled goods seized by the department earlier this month. Photo: Jelly Tse

Authorities believe both shipments were intended for mainland China. Photo: Jelly Tse

Hong Kong authorities deploy sniffer dogs to check for restricted foods being brought into the city. Photo: Sam Tsang

Jacqueline Lee (left) of the Customs and Excise Department and Wesley Tang, chief health inspector with the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department, urged people not to bring in restricted food items. Photo: Sam Tsang

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Customs displays the HK$10 million worth of platinum bars at its headquarters in North Point. Photo: Jelly Tse

Inspector Woo Suet-yi (left) and Inspector Leung Chi-hang stand next to a screen that shows where the platinum bars were hidden in the truck. Photo: Jelly Tse

News

Hong Kong

Law and Crime

Authorities say goods found in two separate shipments bound for Taiwan and Singapore as part of possible ruse to smuggle them to mainland


Authorities say goods found in two separate shipments bound for Taiwan and Singapore as part of possible ruse to smuggle them to mainland.


Taiwan

Singapore