Customs catches 7,800 illegally imported hairy crabs

Customs has seized about 7,800 hairy crabs - weighing a total of about 1,400 kilograms - in a three-month anti-smuggling joint operation with health officers.

Seventeen cases without health certificates were intercepted through sea, land and flights in the joint operation with the Centre for Food Safety from September 1.

Among the smuggled hairy crabs, 826 with an estimated market value of about HK$49,000 were seized at the Shenzhen Bay Control Point on Wednesday, and a 52-year-old truck driver has been arrested.

Customs' senior inspector responsible for Shenzhen Bay Cargo, Wong Yau-tin, said officers on Wednesday stopped a cross-border truck with six boxes of hairy crabs on board.

As the crabs did not have a health certificate, they were sent to the Centre for Food Safety on suspicion of violating the Food Safety Ordinance, he said.

"Customs has noticed that smuggled hairy crabs were mainly seized from inbound private cars - different from last year's situation where most crabs were smuggled by trucks," Wong said.

"More cases were found this year compared to last year, but fewer crabs were smuggled each time. Customs believes the criminals are using cross-border private cars to smuggle the hairy crabs to Hong Kong through 'ants moving home' tactics after the border reopened," he said.

Wong added that according to preliminary investigation, officers believe each hairy crab weighs around 300 grams, costing some HK$50 each.

"We think these smuggled hairy crabs are mainly supplying the Hong Kong market, and smugglers will be able to earn two to three times their cost as profit," he said.

The operation on Wednesday is part of a three-month joint operation started on September 1 between Customs and the Centre for Food Safety to combat the illegal importing of hairy crabs at sea, land and air control points.

"As of Wednesday, the Customs has referred 35 cases to the Centre for Food Safety for follow-up action. Among which, 17 cases, involving about 7,800 hairy crabs with a total weight of about 1,400 kilograms, were not covered by any health certificates," the Customs said.

It therefore reminded citizens that smuggling is a serious offense, while anyone found guilty of importing or exporting unmanifested cargo is liable to a maximum fine of HK$2 million and imprisonment for seven years.

"Customs also reminds consumers to make purchases at reputable shops with the Shell Fish (Hairy Crab) Permit or relevant written permission granted by the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department," it said.