Customs Seize Smuggled Goods Worth HK$200m

Customs officers on Wednesday said they had seized suspected smuggled goods worth about HK$200 million from two vessels heading to Shanghai, arresting five men.

Officials said they found large quantities of dried seafood, table wine, electronic goods as well as vinyl records on the ships at the Kwai Tsing Container Terminals last week.

They said there is huge demand for electronic goods on the mainland, adding that people there will also buy dried seafood as Chinese New Year approaches.

More than 70,000 vinyl records were also seized.

"We believe that vinyl records have made a comeback on the mainland in recent years. There are a lot coffee shops that play vinyl records, so there is a demand for vinyl on the mainland," said Cheng Tak-hei of the Customs' syndicate crimes investigation bureau.

Local vinyl record store owner Paul Au told RTHK that there has been a surge in demand from mainland customers, saying they have made up half of his patronage in recent years.

"In the last 10 years, there is a big increase in mainland customers. They have a very big demand for local Hong Kong vinyl, especially the Cantonese pop," he said.

Au said vintage records can cost tens of thousands of dollars these days.

"The price of some of the records, the most wanted ones, can be several times more or even hundreds of times now. The value of records of Leslie Cheung, Teresa Tang is 100 times, sometimes 200 times more than the original price."