Last week, customs officers seized roughly 4,000 kilos of suspected pangolin scales in a shipping container in Hong Kong’s biggest pangolin scale seizure in five years.
After determining that a shipment arriving from Cameroon should be checked based on a risk assessment, customs officials found the smuggled goods – worth an estimated HKD9.8 million – in the container at Kwai Chung Customhouse Cargo Examination Compound on June 23.
Suspected pangolin scales declared as “sliced plastics”. Photo: Hong Kong Customs
The shipment was originally declared as containing “1260 bags of sliced plastics”.
Because pangolins are an endangered species, the scales were seized for further investigation.
Ten days prior to this case, customs officials at the Lok Ma Chau Control Point seized 2.5 kilos of pangolin scales, in addition to products made from other endangered species, from an outbound container truck.
On June 13, customs officers found 51.9 kilos of suspected agarwood, 2.5 kilos of suspected pangolin scales and 13 suspected hornbill beaks.
Agarwood seized on June 13. Photo: Hong Kong Customs
In addition, they also uncovered 0.9 kilos of shark fin and 3.8 kilos of bird’s nest, bringing up the total market value of the seizure to around HKD550,000.
A 57-year-old male driver was arrested on suspicion of breaching the Import and Export Ordinance and the Protection of Endangered Species of Animals and Plants Ordinance.
Suspected pangolin scales and a hornbill beak found on a container truck departing the Lok Ma Chau Control Point on June 13. Photo: Hong Kong Customs
Under the Import and Export Ordinance, the maximum penalty for attempting to export unmanifested cargo is a fine of HKD2 million and imprisonment for seven years.
Offenders of the Protection of Endangered Species of Animals and Plants Ordinance are liable to a maximum fine of HKD5 million and imprisonment for two years.
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