Hong Kong customs seizes counterfeit goods worth HK$36 million in crackdown
Customs warn criminals using high demand over holiday season as ‘smokescreen’ to move illicit goods
Hong Kong customs has intercepted more than 83,000 counterfeit items worth about HK$36 million (US$4.62 million) as part of a recent crackdown, warning that criminals are using the heightened seasonal demand as a “smokescreen” to move illicit goods to Europe and the Americas.
During the operation, authorities uncovered 28 cases involving a diverse range of fake luxury products meant for “relatively high-spending markets” around the world, customs said.
“Criminals are exploiting the massive year-end logistics peak as a ‘smokescreen’ to move illicit goods, hoping the sheer volume of holiday traffic will help them evade detection,” Senior Investigation Officer Lin Kwan-yiu of the department said.
“In this operation, we detected a total of 28 cases and seized approximately 83,000 items of suspected counterfeit goods, with an estimated market value of about HK$36 million.”
He added that syndicates were increasingly using high-quality counterfeits that mimicked authentic brands.