Hong Kong customs officers have seized HK$50 million worth of computer and electronic products from two seaborne shipments bound for Malaysia, bringing the total number of such smuggling cases foiled by them to 10 in five months.
The contraband was discovered on August 14 when two containers, declared to be carrying metal materials and cables, were selected for inspection before being loaded onto a Port Klang-bound oceangoing vessel at a Kwai Chung shipping terminal, according to the Customs and Excise Department.
Inspector Lam Chun-hing of customs’ syndicate crimes investigation bureau on Wednesday said the cargo containers were opened for inspection after X-rays showed suspicious images.
He said a layer of goods listed in the shipping documents was placed near the door of each container to camouflage the contraband products.
“After removing the declared goods, officers found a large quantity of unmanifested products in the containers,” Lam said.
According to the department, the seized contraband included new and second-hand computer and electronic products, with an estimated street value of HK$50 million.
The inspector said computer and electronic products were commonly smuggled to mainland China, which was believed to be the ultimate destination for the two consignments.
“We don’t rule out the possibility that criminals take indirect routes to evade customs detection. They first ship the cargo to Malaysia and then smuggle the consignments into mainland China,” Lam said.
He added that around HK$8 million in tariffs could have been evaded if the two consignments had successfully been smuggled into the mainland.
So far, no arrests have been made.
In Hong Kong, exporting and importing unmanifested cargo is punishable by up to seven years in prison and a HK$2 million fine.
A source familiar with the cases said customs officers were investigating whether the two cases were linked to the eight other Malaysia-bound shipments involving HK$497 million worth of contraband products they seized between April and July.
One of the cases was discovered on July 30 when customs officers seized HK$150 million worth of electronic components in a cargo container bound for the Southeast Asian country.
