Hong Kong seizes record $154 mn in luxury goods headed to China

Hong Kong customs announced a record seizure on Friday of luxury goods that were headed to mainland China on a river barge in the latest operation to target an explosion of cross-border smuggling.

The haul included an array of highly sought-after items such as luxury watches, handbags, cosmetics and fins from endangered marine species.

Officials said the goods were worth about HK$1.2 billion ($154 million), by far the largest seizure made by the city’s customs agents.

The operation took place on October 14 when customs discovered what they said was a suspicious vessel that claimed to be transporting plastic pellets.

Instead officers discovered a veritable department store of luxury items.

“The Chinese New Year is only around three months from now… so the mainland has a larger demand for these expensive foods like fish maw and sea cucumber than in normal days,” customs investigator Cheng Tai-hei told reporters.

https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20211029-hong-kong-seizes-record-154-mn-in-luxury-goods-headed-to-china