Hong Kong customs seizes HK$150 million worth of smuggled electronics, other items
Authorities say goods found in two separate shipments bound for Taiwan and Singapore as part of possible ruse to smuggle them to mainland
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.
