XN000022-1990-12-14 — Page 6

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LARGEST HAUL OF ELECTRONIC GOODS SMUGGLED TO CHINA MADE

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CUSTOMS OFFICERS

HAD DRALT A SEVERE BLOW ΤΟ A GANG OF SMUGGLERS AFTER NETTING THE LARGEST EVER HAUL OF ELECTRONIC GOODS TO CHINA YESTERDAY (THURSDAY).

THE OFFICERS, ACTING ON A TIP-OFF, FOUND THE $3 MILLION WORTH OF GOODS, CONSISTING OF TELEVISION SETS, VIDEO CASSETTE RECORDERS AND CAMERA EQUIPMENT IN TWO CONTAINERS DESTINED FOR XIAMEN.

IT IS THE FIRST KNOWN CASE OF ATTEMPTED SMUGGLING TO CHINA INVOLVING CONTAINERS ON AN OCEAN-GOING CONTAINER VESSEL.

CUSTOMS OFFICERS BELIEVED THIS IS A NEW METHOD OF SMUGGLING ELECTRICAL GOODS TO CHINA IN WAKE OF THE GOVERNMENT'S RECENT STEP-UP ENFORCEMENT ACTION ON SPEEDBOAT SMUGGLING.

AFTER A WEEK-LONG PROBE, THE OFFICERS BOARDED A CONTAINER VESSEL "KAI YUAN" AT YAU MA TEI ANCHORAGE AREA WHEN IT WAS ABOUT TO SET SAIL FOR XIAMEN ABOUT 4 PM YESTERDAY,

THE OFFICERS DETAINED TWO 40-FOOT MANIFESTED TO CONTAIN TEXTILE GOODS.

CONTAINERS,

WHICH WERE

THE TWO CONTAINERS WERE THEN OFF-LOADED AND TOWED ASHORE. UPON EXAMINATION, A LARGE QUANTITY OF ELECTRICAL GOODS AND CAMERA EQUIPMENT WAS FOUND, ALONGSIDE WITH 155 ROLLS OF TEXTILE GOODS.

THE HAUL INCLUDED 226 TELEVISIONS, 170 CAMERAS, 1,752 TRIPODS, 516 PORTABLE CASSETTE RECORDERS, 56 VEHICLE RADIO SETS, 181 VIDEO CASSETTE RECORDERS AND A QUANTITY OF AUDIO ACCESSORIES, ALL DESTINED FOR XIAMEN.

AT THE SAME TIME, CUSTOMS OFFICERS CONDUCTED RAIDS AT FOUR PLACES ON HONG KONG ISLAND AND ONE IN KOWLOON.

A 30-YEAR-OLD MAN BELIEVED TO BE THE EXPORTER OF THE GOODS AND A 24-YEAR-OLD WOMAN ARE NOW ASSISTING IN THE INVESTIGATION.

CUSTOMS OFFICERS ARE STILL LOOKING FOR A MAN BELIEVED TO BE CONNECTED WITH THE CASE. FURTHER RAIDS ARE BEING CONDUCTED.

IN THE OPERATION, OVER 50 OFFICERS FROM THE GENERAL INVESTIGATION DIVISION OF THE INVESTIGATION BRANCH, AND THE SEA CARGO AND LAND ENFORCEMENT DIVISIONS OF THE OPERATIONS BRANCH OF THE CUSTOMS AND EXCISE DEPARTMENT WERE MOBILISED.

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