Several local residents caught smuggling products into the mainland

Mainland authorities have reportedly caught several local residents trying to smuggle several kinds of products into the mainland.

There were at least three different cases reported over the Lunar New Year period in which residents were found trying to smuggle live lobsters as well as wine and other alcoholic beverages into the mainland.

The Chinese authorities are said to have caught the suspects during random inspections of vehicles. In most cases, the smugglers were using double-plate vehicles to transport the goods. In at least one case, the suspect was using a private car with a single plate from Macau registered under the Macau Vehicles Going North scheme.

In one of the cases reported yesterday, a man was caught at the checkpoint of the Hong Kong-
Zhuhai-Macao Bridge (HKZMB) with 136 live lobsters stuffed in gym bags.

The lobsters seized totaled 81.4 kilograms.

In a different case, which occurred in early February, a man was also caught at the HKZMB this time transporting 34 bottles of red wine and Cognac.

On Feb. 8, local customs were also said to have seized 110 kg of live undocumented lobsters that were found in an Industrial Building in the Northern District.

The lobsters were said to have a market value of approximately 50,000 patacas.

Questioned by the authorities, a 22-year-old local man admitted the lobsters were also intended to be smuggled into the mainland.