El Presidente Posted October 21, 2021 Share Posted October 21, 2021 Story in full below but in short: "Recent speedboat smuggling busts have netted everything from luxury watches, handbags and shoes to endangered animal parts, cosmetics, wines, whiskey and cigars." " We are particularly concerned of rumours of an inflateable boat disguised as a fishing vessel opertating in the harbour. It is referred to in Cigar circles as the "Cohiba Express". Any information on the below vessel should be reported immediately to authorities". Cohiba Express: file photo Reuters Aussie rock lobsters a Hong Kong security threat: customs chief Rampant smuggling of Australian rock lobsters into mainland China is a national security threat, Hong Kong's new customs chief said Thursday as she vowed to crack down on the trade. Lobsters are one of a number of products from Australia that China has restricted imports of as relations between the countries plunged. But they remain a prized and much sought-after delicacy in mainland China. Imports of Australian rock lobsters to Hong Kong -- which maintains no restrictions on the crustaceans -- have since sky-rocketed, with suspicions that the vast majority end up on mainland tables. Louise Ho was announced as the city's new customs commissioner on Thursday, the first woman to hold the position. During her inaugural press conference, she explained why lobsters were one of her priorities when it comes to safeguarding China's national security. "On the surface, it is a simple matter of smuggling lobsters, but these activities undermine our country's trade restrictions against Australia," Ho told reporters. "Stopping lobster smuggling is a very important part of protecting national security, so we will pursue it diligently." Smuggling goods by speedboat has been a mainstay of the triad organised crime gangs operating on both sides of the border for years but the phenomenon has surged during the coronavirus pandemic. Police embarked on a crackdown after a marine officer was killed last month when her vessel was rammed by smugglers during a high-speed chase. Lobsters are just one of a cornucopia of in-demand goods that gangs smuggle into China. Recent speedboat smuggling busts have netted everything from luxury watches, handbags and shoes to endangered animal parts, cosmetics, wines, whiskey and cigars. Last week, Hong Kong and mainland authorities seized 5,300 kilograms of smuggled Australian lobsters, worth around US$540,000, and arrested 13 people. In June, Bloomberg reported that Hong Kong has become the world's largest importer of Australian lobsters, with monthly trade growing more than 2,000 percent from October to April. Ho also said that customs officials will actively block the inflow of anti-government propaganda at the border, even if the content looked innocuous. China has cracked down in Hong Kong after the city was rocked by huge and often violent democracy protests two years ago. It imposed a national security law last year that outlaws much dissent and empowers authorities to go after anything deemed a threat to China. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garbandz Posted October 21, 2021 Share Posted October 21, 2021 Louise Ho was announced as the city's new customs commissioner on Thursday, a real step up..............for a Ho................ 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post HuffnPuffff Posted October 21, 2021 Popular Post Share Posted October 21, 2021 Reminds me of when China banned Norwegian salmon in retaliation for a Nobel prize going to a Chinese dissident. All of sudden, Vietnam, which prior to then had never imported a single salmon before, became the number 1 importer of Norwegian salmon (Vietnam shares a land border with southern China). Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fuzz Posted October 22, 2021 Share Posted October 22, 2021 I see China testing their new hyper missiles in Hong Kong Harbour soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chucko8 Posted October 22, 2021 Share Posted October 22, 2021 There goes my side hustle . 🤣🤣 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NSXCIGAR Posted October 22, 2021 Share Posted October 22, 2021 Why does China have trade restrictions on anyone? As if Australia is going to bend to the will of China? Talk about getting too big for their britches. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tstew75 Posted October 23, 2021 Share Posted October 23, 2021 Crustaceans seem unwieldy to smuggle 😆 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meklown Posted October 23, 2021 Share Posted October 23, 2021 7 hours ago, NSXCIGAR said: Why does China have trade restrictions on anyone? As if Australia is going to bend to the will of China? Talk about getting too big for their britches. Replace china and Australia with any other country and your question still stands 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chibearsv Posted October 23, 2021 Share Posted October 23, 2021 My geography and knowledge of boat ranges must suck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaBoot Posted October 23, 2021 Share Posted October 23, 2021 Are. They valuing a lobster at $1000 each? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fuzz Posted October 24, 2021 Share Posted October 24, 2021 On 10/23/2021 at 10:40 PM, DaBoot said: Are. They valuing a lobster at $1000 each? No, they valued them at USD100/kg. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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