Hong Kong customs has seized 460 kilograms of dried sharks fin, 200 kilograms of dried sea cucumber and 3,300 boxes of a Chinese proprietary medicine delivered in an air shipment falsely declared as carrying household goods.
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The products worth a total of HK$2.3 million (US$296,000) were stored in 33 cartons on board a flight from Indonesia that arrived on Thursday, the Customs and Excise Department revealed on Sunday.
Dried shark fins and dried sea cucumbers are considered delicacies in certain Chinese communities, while the seized Chinese medicine contained a highly sought-after herb called gastrodia elata.
The confiscated products were handed over to the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department for follow-up as the items were suspected to be regulated under the Protection of Endangered Species of Animals and Plants Ordinance.
Under the ordinance, anyone caught importing, exporting, or possessing specimens of endangered species without a relevant permit can face up to 10 years in prison and a HK$10 million fine.
Authorities revealed three days ago that they had confiscated a tonne of protected agarwood in a sea shipment from mainland China – the largest such seizure in over two decades. A 35-year-old woman, the director of a local trading company and the consignee of the shipment, was arrested.