Five held over $170m cross border cash laundering runs

Three cross-border drivers and two owners of a currency exchange store have been arrested for transporting HK$170 million in cash across the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, the first time drivers have been caught transporting money for laundering, say customs officials.

The five men, aged 40 to 43, were held on suspicion of money laundering.

The Customs and Excise Department had received 17 declarations for bringing a huge amount of money from two of the three cross-border drivers since May, ranging from HK$3 million to HK$27 million, all of which were declared to be for self-use.

Most of the cash was headed to Macau. Customs suspected the HK$170 million was intended for use in casinos.

Alice Ho Mei-ling, commander of the police's finance investigation division, said: "The number of visitors had dropped sharply amid the pandemic. It is suspicious for the drivers to bring such huge amounts of cash through immigration."

Ho said officers found it suspicious that the drivers took only an hour to return after making an ostensible Hong Kong-to-Zhuhai trip - when it usually takes at least 80 minutes - and had not gone through a 14-day quarantine in Macau.

There was also a mismatch of means between the drivers' income levels and the amount of money they were declaring. One lives in public housing in Tin Shui Wai, while another lives in a subdivided flat in Yuen Long. Neither owned their places of residence.

Customs made the first arrest last Thursday when one of the drivers crossed the border with HK$20 million, which he said he owned.

That came after he was spotted meeting a tow truck driver near Scenic Hill Tunnel, part of a section of the mega bridge. "Their actions are fast and skilled, and the whole process took less than 20 seconds," Ho added.

The truck was then taken through the tunnel and on to the bridge. The first driver left 30 minutes later. Both drivers were arrested.

They were found to have visited the same currency exchange shop in Kwun Tong. Three New Territories flats and the shop were raided, HK$300,000 in cash seized and HK$580,000 in assets frozen.

Mark Woo Wai-kwan, senior superintendent of the customs syndicate crimes, said the mode of action was circuitous. None of the arrested could tell the whole process.

Under the Return2hk scheme, the drivers did not need to undergo quarantine after heading back to Hong Kong.