Customs on June 13 detected the largest smuggling case on record involving goods worth about $1.5 billion.

An ocean-going vessel was suspected of being used to smuggle goods to the Mainland via Singapore at the Kwai Tsing Container Terminals. A large batch of suspected smuggled goods, including electronic goods, expensive food ingredients, table wines, music records and scheduled endangered species, with a total estimated market value of about $1.5 billion was seized.

This is the largest smuggling case detected by Customs on record in terms of the seizure value.

Customs earlier discovered that criminals may use ocean-going vessels to smuggle goods to the Mainland via Southeast Asian countries, and therefore formulated strategic plans. Fifteen containers, declared as carrying wood pulp, prepared to be shipped to the Mainland via Singapore by an ocean-going vessel, were identified at the Kwai Tsing Container Terminals.

Upon inspection, Customs officers found that the 15 containers were fully packed with wooden boxes. While some of the wooden boxes were used to carry raw paper, most of them were used to conceal suspected smuggled goods.

The majority of the boxes contained electronic goods, including integrated circuits, printed circuit boards and capacitors, totalling about 1.1 billion pieces. Other goods included about 25 tonnes of expensive food ingredients, about 20,000 bottles of table wines, about 27,000 pieces of classical music CDs and vinyl records and scheduled endangered species.

Apart from arresting a 45-year-old man suspected of being connected with the case, the department detained 15 containers.

An investigation is ongoing and the likelihood of further arrests has not been ruled out.

People may call 2545 6182 or send an email to the department to report suspected smuggling activities.