Hong Kong Customs Seize Smuggled Lobsters Amid Australia Ban

Hong Kong Customs Seize Smuggled Lobsters Amid Australia Ban
Hong Kong Customs officials pose beside lobsters seized by the Hong Kong Customs during an anti-smuggling operation are displayed at a news conference in Hong Kong on Nov. 16, 2021. Kin Cheung/AP Photo
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HONG KONG—Hong Kong authorities said Tuesday that they had seized a total of over 4,000 pounds of live lobsters and sea cucumbers believed to be bound for mainland China, months after Beijing restricted imports of the crustaceans from Australia amid escalating tensions between the two countries.

Hong Kong Customs said in a statement that it had seized 890 kilograms (1,962 pounds) of live lobsters and 930 kilograms (2,050 pounds) of sea cucumbers, with a total estimated value of 10 million Hong Kong dollars ($1.3 million) during the operation on Monday. Two men aged 40 and 45 suspected to be connected to the case were also arrested, the statement added.