Hong Kong Customs takes live turtles of presumed arranged threatened types (with pictures)
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Hong Kong Customs the other day (August 30) spotted a threatened types smuggling case including a medium items lorry at the Shenzhen Bay Control Point and took 2 139 live turtles of believed arranged threatened types with an approximated market price of about $1 million.
Based upon danger evaluation, Customs the other day obstructed an outbound medium products automobile at the control point. Upon X-ray evaluation, Customs officers identified abnormalities in the images of the automobile’s undercarriage. 9 black bags were discovered found inside the chassis frame under the freight compartment of the car. Upon evaluation, the bags were discovered to consist of the batch of live turtles of believed arranged threatened types.
A 38-year-old male motorist was detained and was charged with one count of trying to export unmanifested freight, one count of trying to export a types under the Appendix II of Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora(CITES) and one count of ruthlessness to animals. The case will be raised at the Tuen Mun Magistrates’ Courts tomorrow (September 1).
Custom-mades will continue to fight cross-boundary smuggling activities with company enforcement action based upon danger evaluation and intelligence analysis.
Smuggling is a severe offense. Under the Import and Export Ordinance, anybody condemned of importing or exporting unmanifested freight is responsible to an optimum fine of $2 million and jail time for 7 years.
Under the Protection of Endangered Species of Animals and Plants Ordinance, anyone importing, exporting or having specimens of threatened types not in accordance with the Ordinance dedicates an offense and will be responsible to an optimum fine of $10 million and jail time for 10 years upon conviction with the specimens surrendered.
Members of the general public might report any thought smuggling activities to Customs’ 24-hour hotline 182 8080 or its devoted crime-reporting e-mail account (crimereport@customs.gov.hk) or online type (eform.cefs.gov.hk/ form/ced002).