HK Customs seize 286 iPhones in anti-smuggling raid

Hong Kong Customs said Friday that 286 iPhone 6 smartphones, with a total value of about 1.6 million HK dollars (about 206,451 U.S. dollars), were seized during an operation.

Officers from Hong Kong Customs and the Marine Police on Thursday night found several men at Deep Bay Road were loading boxes of goods from the mangroves at the waterfront onto a sampan.

The suspects fled in a speedboat berthed nearby, leaving the smuggled goods behind. Officers seized 11 boxes with 286 iPhone 6 devices. An investigation was underway.

Hong Kong authorities had earlier foiled another suspected case of smuggling smartphones and electronic goods valued at about 3 million HK dollars by speedboat at Wong Shek Public Pier, Sai Kung, on Sept. 20.

Under the Import and Export Ordinance, any person found guilty of exporting unmanifested cargos is liable to a maximum fine of 2 million HK dollars and an imprisonment of seven years. (1 U.S. dollar equals 7.75 HK dollars)