Customs busts smuggling case involving an ocean-going vessel with goods worth about HK$30m

Hong Kong Customs announced on Friday that they had intercepted a smuggling attempt involving an ocean-going vessel at the Kwai Chung Container Terminals on January 23. 

The operation led to the seizure of electronic goods and parts valued at approximately HK$30 million, which were intended to be smuggled to Malaysia.

Through intelligence analysis and risk assessment, Customs officers were alerted to the possibility that criminals were using ocean-going vessels to smuggle goods. Consequently, they devised strategies to thwart these activities.

On the day of the operation, officers targeted a vessel scheduled to depart for Malaysia. The vessel was officially declared to be carrying aluminum. However, during an X-ray examination, suspicious images revealed varying depths, indicating a mix of different types of goods within the containers.

Further inspection showed several unusual shadows deep inside the container, where the density and structure differed from the declared aluminum material. This led to the belief that smuggled goods were present, prompting the transfer of the case to the Syndicate Crimes Investigation Bureau.

The subsequent in-depth investigation by officials resulted in the discovery of a batch of suspected smuggled electronic goods and parts, including computer main units, central processing units, and printed circuit boards.

Investigations revealed that the shipping company involved was based in the mainland, and the seized electronic goods were highly sought after in the mainland market. 

It is suspected that the smugglers planned to first transport the goods to Malaysia to evade detection and then smuggle them back to the mainland via different channels. If the smuggling attempt had been successful, it could have avoided taxes estimated at HK$3 million.

The investigation is ongoing, and further arrests have not been ruled out.