Hong Kong customs have pledged to ramp up the detection of illicit fund flows in large-scale wildlife smuggling cases after winning a UN award for the city’s first money laundering conviction involving this type of trafficking.
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The Customs and Excise Department last month was recognised with an “impact” award from the United Nations Environment Programme for its role in the jailing of a 37-year-old man in September for 40 months over a live coral smuggling case involving about HK$6.7 million (US$862,000) in crime proceeds.
“For larger cases where seized goods value would be higher, we will pay particular attention and conduct a holistic investigation,” Wong Lai-yung, head of the department’s syndicate crimes investigation bureau, said.
Hong Kong has seen a rise in endangered species smuggling in recent years.
Customs data showed that 438 cases with goods worth HK$65 million were uncovered in the first three quarters of this year, compared with 358 involving animals and other items worth HK$92 million in the same period last year.
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The number of cases also increased by 10.4 per cent between 2023 and 2024, rising from 404 to 446. The total value of the goods involved rose from HK$85 million to HK$99 million.