Hong Kong Customs seize diamonds worth HK$25 mn at border checkpoint

In the biggest bust of its kind locally, the Hong Kong customs seized more than 1,300 diamonds estimated to be worth HK$25 mn from a truck at a border checkpoint in Hong Kong. The Shenzhen-bound haul was discovered when the vehicle was selected for inspection at the Sha Tau Kok control point at about 8 pm on 3 June, according to a report in South China Morning Post (SCMP).
The truck was found to be carrying HK$19 million worth of gold bars, which were not seized by customs as they had been declared as cargo to transport from Hong Kong to Shenzhen.
Senior Superintendent Mark Woo Wai-Kwan, head of the Customs and Excise Department’s syndicate crimes investigation bureau, said 1,302 diamonds were seized along with 330 grams of melee diamonds, 10 blue diamonds, and one emerald.
“The diamonds weigh 0.3 to two carats each and the total haul is worth about HK$25 mn,” he said. “It is the biggest-ever seizure of this kind.”
As per the SCMP report, customs officers arrested the 47-year-old male driver on suspicion of exporting unmanifested cargo – an offence that carries a maximum penalty of seven years in jail and a HK$2 mn fine.
Woo said the diamond-smuggling bid was designed to avoid stringent import restrictions and mainland Chinese taxes.
“We believe the diamonds were bound for factories across the border, where they would be turned into jewellery before being sold in the mainland market,” he said.
He added that officers were investigating the source of the diamonds and looking into whether there was a cross-border smuggling syndicate behind the attempt.
According to the department, it was the first diamond-smuggling case detected this year. The senior superintendent said they would strengthen inspections at control points and increase the exchange of intelligence to combat such illegal activities. The suspect has been released on bail pending further investigation.

Aruna Gaitonde, Editor in Chief of the Asian Bureau, Rough&Polished