Hong Kong seizes gold bars worth HKD10m from Macau driver

Hong Kong seized 20 gold bars weighing about 20 kilograms in total, with an estimated market value of about HKD10 million at the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge (HZMB) Control Point.

This is the first case of gold smuggling using cross-border private cars uncovered by Hong Kong Customs since 2020.

The accused 32-year-old male driver is from Macau and has been arrested after personnel intercepted an outgoing seven-seater vehicle at the HZMB Control Point for inspection.

Superintendent Jason Lau Yuk-lung of Customs’ syndicate crimes investigation bureau said that the officers found 20 gold bars, each weighing 1kg, hidden in a secret compartment under the center console next to the driver’s seat.

Meanwhile, Inspector Wu Ming-chung of Customs’ HZMB cargo division said the car was taken for an X-ray examination after its chauffeur, a Macau identity card holder, acted suspiciously.

“After removing the opening’s cover, a box containing 20 gold bars was in the secret compartment,” Lau said.

The superintendent said the bars were possibly intended for mainland China, where smugglers might make a profit from price difference, as cited in media reports, adding that gold was subject to tariffs of about 50% in addition to strict import restrictions imposed by the mainland.

“The city’s price of gold per kilogram is about HKD30,000 higher than the price in mainland China,” Lau said.

“Smugglers could have evaded HKD5 million in taxes if the consignment was successfully brought across the border illegally.”

The last time the Customs detected smuggling of gold slabs by a cross-boundary private car was back in 2020. Staff Reporter