Hong Kong customs officials seized more than HK$12.2 million (about US$1.56 million) worth of illegal imports in an overnight bust in the New Territories that authorities said was the largest of the year so far.
Police announced the bust this morning, saying the haul of contraband included mobile phones, tablet computers, phone accessories, smart watches, and HK$150,000 in cash.
Marine police officers said they came upon five suspicious people unloading boxes of goods from a large truck near Yuen Long, a New Territories district near the border with the mainland known for its historical links to organized crime.
According to marine police commander Chow Shun-wai, the smugglers abandoned the goods and the truck when they spotted the officers, jumping into a nearby speedboat and taking off.
Marine police tried to intercept them, but the boat managed to escape into mainland territorial waters.
Chow said officers were unable to offer detailed descriptions of the smugglers, aside from discerning that they were men.
Eighty-three boxes of illegally imported goods were seized in the operation, with Leung Yiu Man, division commander of the Customs and Excise Department, saying the seizure was the “highest value” smuggled goods case in 2019 so far.
