HONG KONG: Hong Kong customs has confiscated a record 38 tonnes this year of endangered red sandalwood destined for the mainland – where the species’ high value in furniture and carvings could fetch around HK$152 million.
The collective haul of the wood, known as “red gold”, in just seven months was more than in any full year since 2005.
It was also 146 times the quantity of red sandalwood seized in the whole of 2012, and twice the amount discovered last year, figures obtained by the South China Morning Post show.
The surge was mainly due to two recent cases of smuggling – both from India – that yielded 31.6 tonnes of the timber, a government source with knowledge of the illegal trade said.
Despite the huge haul, the Customs and Excise Department said: “There is no evidence or intelligence indicating Hong Kong has become a transit point for smuggling endangered species.”
The source agreed that smugglers used different tactics and routes to bring the precious wood into the mainland, adding: “Hong Kong is just one transshipment point they use in an attempt to avoid detection.”
According to Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department data, 58.12 tonnes of smuggled red sandalwood was seized in the city in 2005, although none was confiscated in 2006, 2009 or 2010. Last year, 18 tonnes of the precious wood was impounded – an increase of around eight tonnes from 2013.
On June 23 this year, customs officers uncovered 21 tonnes of red sandalwood hidden in a cargo container. This was followed by the discovery of 10.6 tonnes in another container on July 9.
Both shipments had arrived from India and were mislabelled as “glass flower pots”.
Red sandalwood has long been prized on the mainland where, due to growing affluence, demand is high.
“Intelligence indicates the wood can be sold for more than HK$4,000 per kg on the mainland’s underground market,” the source said. “But it is bought for about HK$500 per kg in India; the wholesale price is even lower.”
Illegal trading of the wood, found in India, Pakistan, Nepal and Sri Lanka, has led to its listing under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora.
Hong Kong regulates import and re-export of the wood, requiring all shipments to be accompanied by permit, according to the conservation department. Offenders face a maximum penalty of one year in jail and a HK$500,000 fine.
Last August, China News Service reported that Guangzhou customs smashed a wood-smuggling syndicate and arrested 23 people, including the owner of a Hong Kong logistics company.
It said the syndicate was suspected of smuggling 14,000 tonnes of high-end wood, including red sandalwood, worth 1.05 billion yuan (HK$1.33 billion) into the mainland in 2013.
