Hong Kong customs seizes HK$32 million of bird’s nests in largest land haul

Hong Kong customs officers have made their biggest seizure of bird’s nests at a land border crossing, discovering HK$32 million (US$411,000) worth of the delicacy hidden in a truck bound for mainland China.

Inspector Davis Kwok Chun-ting of customs’ syndicate crimes investigation bureau said on Friday that the haul, found in a truck at the Lok Ma Chau border crossing on Wednesday, was intended to meet demand for the high-value product on the mainland in the run-up to the festive season.

Kwok said bird’s nests were subject to tariffs of around 25 per cent on the mainland and if the goods had been successfully smuggled across the border, “criminals could have evaded as much as HK$8 million in tariffs”.

Customs officers seized 438kg (965lbs) of bird’s nests in 27 cardboard boxes hidden among three of 12 pallets in the truck, declared as carrying game consoles.

According to the Customs and Excise Department, the Shenzhen-bound truck, driven by a 58-year-old man, was stopped for inspection at the checkpoint around lunchtime on Wednesday.

Acting senior inspector Chung Yuen-fong of customs’ land boundary command said a further inspection was made after X-ray scans revealed suspicious images at the centre of the truck’s cargo hold.

“The appearance of some cardboard boxes [loaded onto three of the pallets] was noticeably different from the other boxes,” he said.