Hong Kong customs officers on Thursday seized 16 tonnes of donkey skin and 500kg of sea cucumbers from smugglers in a consignment worth HK$1.45 million (US$187,000), the government has revealed.
The Customs and Excise Department uncovered the haul after a spot check of a cargo container originating from Egypt.
“Officers selected and inspected a container declared to be carrying table salt that arrived in Hong Kong from Egypt. The suspected smuggled sea cucumbers and donkey skins were seized,” the department said in a statement.
An investigation is under way.
Smuggling is a serious offence in Hong Kong and carries a maximum penalty of seven years in prison and a HK$2 million fine.
The HK$18 million boats helping Hong Kong take on the smugglers
Hong Kong, one of the world’s busiest air and sea cargo hubs, is a hotspot for smuggling, helping fuel the wildlife trade, especially in elephant tusks and shark fin.
With the help of intelligence gathering and sharing of information among law-enforcement agencies worldwide, customs officers identify goods from high-risk countries.
In 35 cases of seizures from smuggling so far this year, the bulk of the discoveries have been related to drugs, which included a haul of HK$17.7 million worth of cocaine on March 13 that was heading to Japan from Brazil.
The donkey hide is in high demand in China and is used to make traditional medicinal products that are believed to improve blood circulation and treat conditions such as anaemia.
Seven mainland Chinese men arrested for smuggling in Hong Kong
The slaughtering of donkeys for the hide is a problem in Africa, with an official tally in Kenya showing 300,000 donkeys were slaughtered between 2016 and 2018.
China used about 4.8 million hides a year, according to a study by charity Donkey Sanctuary last year.
Sea cucumbers are considered delicacies on the mainland. They are prized for their medicinal values and considered an aphrodisiac. They are priced between US$300 and US$500 a kilogram in Asia.
This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as: Sea cucumbers, donkey skins seized by customs
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