Hong Kong busts $5.9M gold smuggling case in Japan-bound shipment

By Minh Nga March 11, 2025 | 06:30 pm PT

Travelers queue up at the Hong Kong International Airport, in Hong Kong, Aug. 1, 2022. Photo by Reuters

Hong Kong Customs has uncovered the largest gold bullion-smuggling case in its history, seizing HK$46 million (US$5.9 million) worth of gold in an air cargo shipment destined for Japan.

In a press release on Tuesday, Customs revealed that they uncovered a major gold bullion smuggling operation, seizing approximately 64 kilograms of suspected gold at Hong Kong International Airport on March 5.

The discovery was made as customs officers examined an air cargo shipment that was declared to contain toys, lamps, and hats, destined for Japan. During the inspection at the Customs Cargo Examination Compound at HKIA, officers found the gold bullion hidden in four cardboard boxes.

This marks the largest gold bullion-smuggling case in Hong Kong's history, both in terms of volume and value.

Inspector Daniel Chan Wing-yin told the South China Morning Post on Tuesday that the shipment consisted of 124 packages.

"During an analysis of X-ray images, officers noticed that four packages displayed unusually high densities, inconsistent with the declared contents," he said.

An investigation is ongoing.