The Marine Police conducted an anti-smuggling operation in the Deep Bay area yesterday (7th), during which they found a suspicious sampan entering the waters of Hong Kong from the Mainland, and launched a chase. The sampan was finally intercepted and 126 suspected smuggled cats were seized on board dog; but a man on a sampan jumped ashore and fled.
Some of the cats and dogs in the case were dehydrated. The police believe that most of the seized cats and dogs were sold to pet shops in Hong Kong. The case was handed over to the Marine Police Regional Crime Squad for follow-up.
Huang Xinwei, Acting Assistant Commander of Marine Police West Division, told the case this afternoon (8th), saying that the Police Marine Police Small Boat Division, Marine Police Port Outer Area Task Force, and Marine Police West Division were in Deep Bay at about 8 o'clock last night. Anti-smuggling and anti-smuggling operations in the area.
At about 11.30pm, the police found a suspicious sampan entering Hong Kong waters from inland waters and travelling along the coastal waters.
The police dispatched a fast patrol boat to intercept and investigate, but the other sampan sped away.
Some cats and dogs are dehydrated
When the sampan approached the shoreline of Lower Pak Nai in Deep Bay, a man on board jumped ashore and fled without a trace.
Police eventually seized the sampan suspected of being used for smuggling and seized 84 cats and 42 dogs on the sampan.
Huang pointed out that these cats and dogs were placed in 46 portable pet boxes at the time. The environment in the pet boxes was harsh. Some cats and dogs were dehydrated. They have been taken care of and handled by the Fisheries and Conservation Department. The first team followed up the investigation.
Chen Ling, head of the first team of the Marine Police Regional Crime Squad, said that the police believed that the case involved a syndicated smuggling gang. Investigations showed that most of the cats and dogs involved were sold in Hong Kong pet shops, and some mainland pet breeders would also sell them. The pets were transported to Hong Kong, but it was initially shown that these breeders did not know that the way of transport was illegal smuggling.
According to police statistics, this is the third case of smuggling cats and dogs of the same type received by the Marine Police Region this year.
