By South China Morning Post | Created at 2024-10-04 06:54:09 | Updated at 2024-10-04 09:18:59
3 hours ago
Six Hongkongers from a syndicate have been arrested for smuggling raw food from mainland China to the city, including the largest amount of hairy crab in a single case this year, according to the Customs and Excise Department.
Customs said on Friday it had seized unauthorised frozen meat, eggs, and hairy crab worth about HK$200,000 (US$25,800) shipped into Hong Kong from the mainland in six separate cases in August and September.
Chow Chun-hung, a senior investigator of customs’ syndicate crime investigation bureau, said a total of 260kg (573lbs) of frozen meat, 600 eggs, and 170kg (375lbs) of hairy crab allegedly smuggled into Hong Kong were intercepted.
The volume of hairy crab seized was the largest in a single case this year, Chow added.
“Frozen meat is a duty-free product in Hong Kong, but the importation is regulated by the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department and customs. We believe the suspects were trying to avoid regulations,” Chow said.
Three of the six cases occurred at the Sha Tau Kok checkpoint, located at the city’s Sha Tau Kok restricted zone, where only those with valid police-issued passes can enter.
