Customs Foil Attempt To Smuggle Goods Worth HK$160mn

Customs officials said on Monday they'd foiled an attempt to smuggle electronic goods worth HK$160 million to the mainland using a river trade vessel.

Officers said they stopped the boat bound for the mainland in western waters off Hong Kong on April 21 after intelligence suggested the vessel often travelled to the territory in the early hours and stopped briefly.

After X-ray examinations, officers found three out of the 55 containers on board that were said to be carrying LCD glass panels suspicious, and on further inspection found undeclared goods such as computer components, musical accessories and audio equipment in the middle and inner parts of the containers.

"We found the goods near the doors of the containers were LCD glass panels and monitors that were made in China. Why were these made in China products being shipped back to the mainland using a river trade vessel?" asked Wong Ching-fu from Customs' Syndicate Crimes Investigation Bureau.

"We believe the smugglers used these LCD monitors as a disguise to try to avoid our inspection," he added.

Officers said if the smugglers had managed to take the goods to the mainland, they would be able to evade tax worth HK$90 million.

A woman, 69, was arrested in connection with the case.