Study Buddy (Explorer): Hong Kong cracks down on food smuggling

[2] Inspector Lam Chun-hing of the customs’ Syndicate Crimes Investigation Bureau said two men were arrested: the owner of a grocery store in Tsuen Wan and a truck driver. Lam said the 34 foam boxes of illicit products included previously frozen meat and fish, as well as live hairy crabs. The boxes were transported into the city from the mainland in a truck without any refrigerating facilities.

[3] “The haul was then unloaded from the truck onto a street in Tsuen Wan and left there for around 10 hours before someone came to pick it up,” Lam said. He expressed concerns about potential health problems and the safety risks for those buying and consuming the food products.

[4] The Customs and Excise Department said the contraband included dumplings, noodles and meatballs and would have sold for about HK$100,000 (US$12,860) in Hong Kong. “We believe the haul could have been bought for as low as HK$50,000 on the mainland, about 50 per cent cheaper than in Hong Kong,” a source said. The insider also said the smuggling operation was designed to avoid city authorities’ import regulations; the smuggled goods were not subject to tariffs.

[5] Customs uncovered the operation after suspecting a truck was being used by a cross-border smuggling syndicate to deliver illicit products. The truck entered Hong Kong via the Man Kam To control point that night and had been declared as carrying vegetables. The vehicle was carrying 40 pallets holding boxes of vegetables and another two pallets loaded with the smuggled goods.

[6] Customs officers followed the truck from the control point to Tsuen Wan, where the 34 foam boxes carrying the contraband products were offloaded onto a street. They quickly arrested the 52-year-old owner of a nearby grocery store after he picked up four of the boxes and brought them into his shop at around 8am the following day. Officers also apprehended the 51-year-old truck driver in Fanling at the same time.

[7] The two men were detained on suspicion of importing unmanifested – shipped but not listed – cargo. The offence is punishable by up to seven years in prison and a maximum fine of HK$2 million (US$257,008). The department said the two suspects had been released on bail, pending further investigation.

[8] Lam said the crackdown was the third round of operation “Ice Breaker” this year, targeting the smuggling of food products into the city. In previous rounds of the operation, customs officers arrested six Hong Kong residents and seized about HK$200,000 worth of unauthorised frozen meat, eggs and hairy crabs. He stressed that the department would continue to conduct enforcement action to combat smuggling.

Source: South China Morning Post, November 13

1. Where were the goods mentioned in paragraph 1 smuggled from?

2. In paragraph 2, one of the suspects arrested …
A. drove a bus.
B. was a police officer.
C. owned a grocery store.
D. used to work in a supermarket.

3. According to paragraph 2, what three types of items did the foam boxes contain? (3 marks)

4. Why was Inspector Lam concerned about the seized food products, based on your understanding of paragraphs 2 and 3?

5. Find a word in paragraph 4 that refers to “a tax paid on goods coming into one region from another”.

6. Based on your understanding of paragraph 4, why did the criminal syndicate smuggle the food to Hong Kong?

7. In paragraph 5, how many pallets holding smuggled goods were found?

8. According to paragraph 6, the boxes used to transport the smuggled goods were made of …
A. cardboard.
B. foam.
C. wood.
D. plastic.

9. Decide whether the following statements about paragraphs 7 and 8 are True, False or the information is Not Given. Fill in ONE circle only for each statement. (4 marks)
(i) The “Ice Breaker” operation targets food smuggling.
(ii) Two people arrested in the previous rounds of operations were grocery store owners.
(iii) Both men will serve a seven-year jail sentence.
(iv) Smuggling is punishable by up to 10 years in prison.

1. mainland China
2. C
3. previously frozen meat, previously frozen fish, and live hairy crabs
4. There may be food safety risks and potential health problems for people who eat the products, as the truck had no refrigeration facilities and the goods were left on the street for around 10 hours before being picked up. (accept all similar answers)
5. tariffs
6. They wanted to sell the items at a higher price in Hong Kong (accept all similar answers).
7. two
8. B
9. (i) T; (ii) NG; (iii) F; (iv) F