Customs and Marine Police conducted a joint anti-smuggling operation on Tai Mong Tsai Road in Sai Kung last week (22/12) having detected a suspected smuggling case using speedboats, a seven-person private car, and a number of electronic products and beauty products. The products and apparel have an estimated market value of about HK$10 million, including about 2,200 Botox beauty injections, which are believed to be smuggled to the mainland in an attempt to conceal about 800,000 yuan in mainland taxes and to avoid strict mainland regulations. During the arrest, eight smugglers fled to the mainland in a speedboat. After investigation by the Customs, a 35-year-old man was arrested in Tung Chung.
Maritime Customs officers and Marine Police carried out the anti-smuggling operation in Sai Kung after a suspected smuggler was found wandering along the beach on Tai Mong Tsai Road. Then a speedboat with two outboard motors and no navigation lights was found anchored in the bay. A suspicious seven-seater car arrived at the scene, and someone quickly carried suspected smuggled items onto the speedboat. Law Enforcement personnel immediately took action. Seven smugglers boarded the speedboat when they saw the officers, and were driven towards the mainland by the speedboat operator. The police launched a chase and issued a stop signal to the speedboat, but was ignored. At 10:05 pm, the speedboat mainland waters. Customs officers seized a batch of suspected smuggled items at the scene and in the vehicle involved, including second-hand mobile phones, beauty products, and electronic products such as central processing units and headsets, worth about 10 million yuan. After investigation, Customs arrested a 35-year-old man in Tung Chung the following day.
The Senior Investigation Officer of the Customs Organised Crime Investigation Division stated that the exhibits included about 2,200 Botox cosmetic injections, which is more than in previous smuggling cases. Customs believes that the Botox was smuggled to the mainland to avoid the mainland tax rate as high as 35%, which is about 800,000 yuan for this haul; secondly, to avoid the strict regulations on the import and export of injections in the mainland, including the need for import and export licenses, quarantine and approval documents of relevant departments. The spokesman pointed out that some Botox injections need to be stored at 2 to 8 degrees Celsius, but as smugglers do not store the products under refrigeration, people should worried about adverse reactions after use. Each bottle of Botox in Hong Kong is worth about HK$1,000. Since it is a pharmaceutical product, its import and export in Hong Kong are also regulated.
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