Electronics smuggling bid worth HK$100m thwarted
Customs officers have arrested a woman on suspicion of smuggling after finding about HK$100 million worth of electronic items marked as aluminium alloy on an oceangoing vessel preparing to depart for Malaysia.
The Customs and Excise Department yesterday said officers had inspected the vessel at the Kwai Chung Container Terminals on April 4. “Through intelligence analysis and risk assessment, customs discovered that criminals intended to use ocean-going vessels to smuggle goods and thus formulated strategies to combat related activities, and identified an oceangoing vessel preparing to depart to Malaysia for inspection,” it said.
Senior Investigator Cheung Yip-tai of the department’s syndicate crimes investigation bureau said officers found a large stash of electronic items packed inside a container declared to be transporting aluminium alloy.
The haul consisted of a large batch of unmanifested goods, such as brand-new integrated circuits, electronic waste and used items, including computer servers, routers and laptops, he added.
A source familiar with the case said the total market value of the items was about HK$100 million, with a batch of 3 million electronic chips accounting for more than 90 per cent of the figure.
A 53-year-old Hongkonger who told officers she oversaw a local consignment company was arrested on charges of smuggling and violating waste disposal regulations, customs said.
The woman has been released on bail, pending further investigation.
In Hong Kong, anyone importing or exporting hazardous waste must first obtain a valid permit from the Environmental Protection Department.
Under the Basel Convention, an international treaty, the export of hazardous rubbish must also be approved by the importing country.
Senior Investigator Cheung said further arrests were possible, with officers looking into the source of the seized items.
Electronic products and components were commonly smuggled to mainland China, which was believed to be a potential destination for the haul, he added.