Customs seizes HK$11m mainland-bound smuggled goods in holiday runup

The Customs and Excise Department conducted an anti-smuggling operation in the Aberdeen region, seizing 1,600 live lobsters, a number of high-priced food ingredients, and electrical devices worth over HK$11,000,000   

Lenon Cheung Yip-tai, Senior Investigation Officer of the Special Investigation Unit One of the Organized Crime Bureau of the Customs and Excise Department, said that around 9:30 last night, some Customs officers noticed several men wandering near the waterfront loading area of the Aberdeen Fish Market, with a large amount of goods on the ground.  

“When a speedboat arrived, the man loaded the things into it and fled southward in a speedboat after the Customs authorities intervened,” Yip added.  

He further stated that as the National Day and Mid-Autumn Festival holidays approach, the demand for high-priced ingredients in the mainland may rise, prompting criminals to take risks and engage in smuggling activities in metropolitan areas.  

“Criminals modify smuggling modes, timings, and locations on a regular basis, such as now,” Yip said, adding that in this case, the thieves advanced the smuggling time, believing that they might evade detection by taking advantage of the fact that the fish market was still open.  

According to Senior Inspector William Lam Tat-for of the Marine Strike and Strategic Planning Division of the Marine Enforcement Group, he promptly launched a pre-ambushed high-speed interceptor boat to pursue the interception after getting notification from Investigation Division personnel.  

“The smuggling speedboat rejected the customs officer's request to stop and continued on its way, crossing the southern water boundary and exiting Hong Kong's waters. It also drove high in one of the city's important canals without turning on the navigation lights, putting marine safety at risk,” Lam said. 

The inquiry is still ongoing, and no one has been arrested. Customs officials reiterated their commitment to continue intercepting smugglers through intelligence analysis.