Asia-Pacific News
Forty-four arrested in Hong Kong's biggest anti-smuggling raid
Jan 13, 2012, 5:31 GMT
Hong Kong - Forty-four people have been arrested in an operation targeting smugglers moving goods between Hong Kong and China, a news report said Friday.
The operation, carried out Wednesday, is believed to be the biggest-ever anti-smuggling raid in Hong Kong and involved more than 80 officers from the police, customs department and labour department, according to the South China Morning Post.
Those arrested included one Hong Kong man and 43 mainland Chinese men and women, who were crossing the border several times a day, ferrying goods to sell for a profit in China.
Officers seized goods, such as mobile phones, tablet computers and bottles of wine, worth 2.3 million Hong Kong dollars (300,000 US dollars).
The customs department said the Hong Kong man was arrested on suspicion of employing illegal workers, while the others were arrested for breaching the conditions of stay of multiple-entry visas which allow them to come to Hong Kong to visit relatives.
High prices fuelled by inflation in China and the devaluation of the Hong Kong dollar has made the city a haven for bargain hunters and smugglers from China who can make a quick profit by reselling goods acquired on day trips over the border.
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