Customs busts HK$390,000 worth of suspected smuggled hairy crabs

Hong Kong Customs announced Monday that they busted the smuggling of hairy crabs worth HK$390,000 at the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge Hong Kong Port on Sunday.

Through a risk assessment, Customs intercepted an incoming goods vehicle declared to be carrying a batch of cross-boundary merchandise, including food items, at the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge Hong Kong Port yesterday (Nov 19).

After inspection, officers found a batch of suspected smuggled hairy crabs inside the cargo compartment of the vehicle.

They seized a total of 6,400 hairy crabs weighing 920 kilograms, with a market value of HK$390,000.

The seized hairy crabs did not come with health certificates issued by the relevant authorities of the exporting economies and failed to comply with the requirements of the Shell Fish (Hairy Crab) Permit.

The male driver who is suspected to be connected with the case and the batch of suspected smuggled hairy crabs were handed over to the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) for follow-up investigation.

Customs spokesman urged sellers not to import or put on sale hairy crabs of unknown origin and reminded consumers to make purchases at reputable shops with the Shell Fish (Hairy Crab) Permit or relevant written permission granted by the FEHD.