2005-11-26 16:33 The Small Boat Division of the Marine Police seized $5 million worth of suspected smuggled goods this (November 26) morning during an anti-smuggling operation conducted in the eastern waters near Basalt Island in Sai Kung. At about 8 am today, officers from Small Boat Division spotted a group of 11 speedboats moving east of Ninepin Group. They gave a signal to the speedboats to stop but the speedboats ignored the signals and accelerated towards Mainland waters. The Police vessels gave chase to the speedboats. One of the speedboats slowed down and a coxswaine on board abandoned his vessel and was picked up by another speedboat which then fled towards Mainland waters. On the abandoned speedboat, 112 plastic-wrapped boxes and three sacks of contraband goods were found. They included a projector, digital cameras, digital video cameras, camera lenses, computer hard disks, electronic components, semi-conductors, mobile telephone batteries, chargers and rechargebale batteries with an estimated value of more than $5 million. The case is classified as "attempting to export unmanifested cargo" and has been transferred to the Customs and Excise Department for follow-up action. |