Customs officials in Hong Kong intercepted a large quantity of suspected illegally smuggled wildlife products worth approximately 100 million HKD in four shipping containers bound for South Korea on October 24. The containers, originally declared to carry seafood, were examined after customs officers identified suspicious activity. Within the containers, customs found suspected protected items such as shark fins, shark skin, crocodile skin, sea horses, stingray gill plates, and sea cucumbers. Customs is continuing to investigate the case and is considering whether to make arrests. Customs officials stressed their role in combatting smuggling by employing robust risk management and intelligence-led enforcement strategies.
Customs is committed to actively combating various types of smuggling activities and has intensified its efforts to tackle maritime smuggling. The authority is conducting targeted anti-smuggling operations at appropriate times to curb such crimes. People can report suspected smuggling activities through the 24-hour hotline at 182 8080, an email address ([email protected]), or an online form accessible at eform.cefs.gov.hk/form/ced002. The customs authority has emphasized that the detected items included suspected protected wildlife components such as shark fins, crocodile skin, and sea cucumbers.