HONG KONG: In a suspected smuggling bust presumably accompanied by shouts of “jackpot,” Hong Kong customs officers yesterday seized 15 gold bars from a driver attempting to enter from the mainland. The 15 kilogram haul — valued at HK$5 million (US$640,400) — was discovered during an inspection of a private vehicle that entered the Lok Ma Chau checkpoint from Shenzhen, according to customs department statement.
Officers arrested the car’s 55-year-old driver, who faces up to seven years in prison and a maximum fine of HK$2 million (US$256,000) if found to have been smuggling the golden goods. The investigation is ongoing, customs said. The bust comes less than a month after a Hong Kong airline stewardess was arrested in Tokyo for allegedly smuggling gold bars on a flight to the Japanese capital. From July 2015 to June 2016, Japan reported 294 instances of smuggled gold worth a total of HK$42 million. Almost half — 45 percent — originated in Hong Kong, according to the Standard. Yesterday’s seizure, meanwhile, is half the size of a similar bust about a year ago, when 30 gold bars, worth HK$11 million (US$1.4 million), were seized at the Bay Control point from a car entering from Shenzhen.
