Hong Kong Customs officers announced on the evening of 16 February that they had seized controlled medicines worth HK $140 million (US $18 million) and arrested four suspects—two mainland men and two local women—during a series of raids on storage units and delivery vans. The haul included 100,000 injectable weight-loss treatments, 340,000 oral tablets and 60 kilograms of beauty-industry wrinkle fillers, all smuggled without cold-chain protection.
Divisional commander Anthony Tang said demand for overseas-sourced slimming jabs has exploded, with some clinics charging eight times the import cost. Since January, nine smuggling cases involving illicit medical products have been cracked, part of a wider push to safeguard public health as cross-border e-commerce rebounds.
![Customs Seize HK $140 Million in Smuggled Slimming and Cosmetic Drugs, Arrest Four]()
The case highlights the intersection of mobility and regulation: many high-value parcels entered Hong Kong via passenger baggage or driver-accompanied trucks crossing the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, exploiting faster clearance lanes originally designed to facilitate Greater Bay Area trade. Customs will now step up targeted inspections at land ports during the festival peak, when passenger-vehicle traffic can double.
Pharmaceutical firms and freight forwarders are advised to audit their supply chains for temperature-sensitive products and ensure all consignments carry proper import permits. Failure to do so risks penalties under the Import and Export Ordinance, including fines of HK $2 million and seven years’ imprisonment.
Divisional commander Anthony Tang said demand for overseas-sourced slimming jabs has exploded, with some clinics charging eight times the import cost. Since January, nine smuggling cases involving illicit medical products have been cracked, part of a wider push to safeguard public health as cross-border e-commerce rebounds.
The case highlights the intersection of mobility and regulation: many high-value parcels entered Hong Kong via passenger baggage or driver-accompanied trucks crossing the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, exploiting faster clearance lanes originally designed to facilitate Greater Bay Area trade. Customs will now step up targeted inspections at land ports during the festival peak, when passenger-vehicle traffic can double.
Pharmaceutical firms and freight forwarders are advised to audit their supply chains for temperature-sensitive products and ensure all consignments carry proper import permits. Failure to do so risks penalties under the Import and Export Ordinance, including fines of HK $2 million and seven years’ imprisonment.
Source: South China Morning Post
