Customs and Marine Police launched an anti-smuggling joint operation off Tit Cham Chau on Monday night following an intelligence tip-off. They seized bird’s nest and electronic parts worth $5.2 million. The smugglers managed to escape to mainland waters and no-one was arrested.
The episode started when the Marine Police Boat Division, saw a light goods vehicle heading for the pier near Tit Cham Chau around 7:30 pm. The officers also sighted a boat off-shore and six people moving boxes. They suspected a smuggling operation was underway. Once the boxes were landed the police moved in, but the smugglers jumped back on the boat. The boat then moved off from the dock and headed eastward. Two speedboats of the Marine Police immediately pursued. They managed to get as close as 50 m, but after 20 minutes the fugitive boat had reached mainland waters and the police had to give up the chase.
Customs and Marine Police seized a total of 63 boxes of suspected smuggled goods, including 85 kg of bird’s nest, 2,600 smart phones, 1,700 tablet computers, 700 smart watches and 4,500 electronic products, with a total value of about $5.2 million.
The Police Inspector in charge of the operation said that he believed that the helmsman was very familiar with the waters. During the chase, he continuously tried to take the speedboat away from the open water and through an area with many reefs and rocks.
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