Hong Kong Customs detects suspected scheduled hippopotamus ivory and are living tortoise smuggling case involving speedboat (with photographs)
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Hong Kong Customs early this morning (July twelve) mounted an anti-smuggling operation in the southern waters of Hong Kong and detected a suspected smuggling situation involving a speedboat. About sixty parts of suspected scheduled hippopotamus ivory, about 3 three hundred are living tortoises, and about five hundred containers of medications for puppies, with a overall believed industry worth of about $2 million, were being seized.
Customs officers done an anti-smuggling procedure in the waters around Ap Lei Chau and spotted a suspicious speedboat heading in direction of the Ap Lei Chau Community Pier with its navigation lights off in the early hrs now. A light items car or truck then arrived around the pier and the male driver, jointly with three gentlemen in the car, promptly moved a batch of merchandise from the vehicle onto the speedboat. They ended up suspected of collaborating in smuggling routines. Customs officers swiftly took action and a man on the shore quickly jumped on to the speedboat and fled.
Later, Customs officers seized the batch of suspected scheduled hippopotamus ivory, reside tortoises and medications for canines off-loaded from the light-weight products vehicle.
During the procedure, a few gentlemen, aged in between 33 and forty four, suspected to be linked with the situation were being arrested and the mild goods car was also detained.
An investigation is ongoing and further arrests are not dominated out.
Customs stressed that it will retain up its enforcement motion and will proceed to vigorously overcome sea smuggling actions through proactive risk administration and intelligence-based enforcement procedures, together with mounting anti-smuggling operations at suited periods to land a reliable blow versus appropriate functions.
Smuggling is a significant offence. Under the Import and Export Ordinance, any human being discovered responsible of importing or exporting unmanifested cargo is liable to a greatest fantastic of $2 million and imprisonment for seven years.
Under the Protection of Endangered Species of Animals and Vegetation Ordinance, any human being uncovered responsible of importing or exporting an endangered species devoid of a licence is liable to a greatest fantastic of $ten million and imprisonment for ten yrs.
Members of the community might report any suspected smuggling things to do to Customs’ 24-hour hotline 2545 6182 or its focused crime-reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hk) or online type (eform.cefs.gov.hk/variety/ced002/).
Ends/Wednesday, July 12, 2023
Issued at HKT 18:twenty five
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