Assistant Superintendent Cheung Ka-chung of customs’ air cargo ground said on Friday, 16th of June, that authorities cracked 24 smuggling cases involving endangered species leading to 14 arrests.

In the month-long operation jointly mounted with officers from the Customs and Excise Department and the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department, authorities seized contraband items primarily consisting of dried shark fin. Other items seized in the operation code-named “Shepherd” include live Burmese and Indian star tortoise and are suspected to include ginseng, dried seahorse and orchids.

Assistant Superintendent Cheung said the number of cases dropped from 659 in 2019 to 300 in the past three years due to the dramatic decrease in travel during the Covid-19 pandemic. He said authorities, however, noticed a rising trend of smuggling endangered species this year following the resumption of normal travel. Figures show that customs cracked 175 smuggling cases involving endangered species in the first five months of this year.

Hong Kong has long been criticised as a hub for illegal wildlife trade with more than 640 tonnes of goods worth HK$207 million seized in 2018 and 2019.

Although shark fin consumption has declined in Hong Kong, it remains a global trading hub for it. Shark and ray trading is regulated through the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), however, most of the fin seizures in Hong Kong came from CITES protected species without the necessary permits. Sharks and rays are slow growing and slow to reproduce, with 37% of sharks and ray species at risk of extinction and 90 species critically endangered. To extract the fins, they are usually sliced from the body with the animal being thrown back in the sea to suffer a slow death.

Similarly, Hong Kong is notorious for the trading of live animals, many of which, like the two genus of tortoise seized here, are protected. ADM Capital Foundation has noted that live animals trafficked are often destined to be exotic pets despite poor suitability, can lead to public health concerns and are often subject to cruelty in the animal supply chain.

In August 2021, in an attempt to better tackle wildlife trading, the Legislative council voted to pass an amendment bill to the Organised and Serious Crimes Ordinance, treating wildlife offences, including trading and seizure, as serious and organised crime. Although this was identified by ADM Capital Foundation as being key to target syndicates as opposed to individual smugglers, with the prosecution of the latter having very little deterrent effects, at the time of writing, no prosecution of this nature has taken place.

In Hong Kong, importing, possessing or exporting endangered species without a permit carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in jail and a HK$10 million fine. Those found importing and exporting unmanifested cargo face a maximum penalty of seven years in jail and HK$2 million fine.

Courtsey of Claire Lai