A man was convicted and sentenced to 32 months' imprisonment today (July 30) at the District Court for using express air parcels to smuggle helmeted hornbill beaks, in contravention of the Protection of Endangered Species of Animals and Plants Ordinance (PESO).
Officers from Hong Kong Customs inspected two express air parcels arriving from Malaysia at Hong Kong International Airport on January 9 this year and found 27 helmeted hornbill beaks weighing about 3 kilograms in total. Upon a follow-up investigation, the 36-year-old man in connection with the case was arrested.
Under the PESO, any person found guilty of importing or exporting an endangered species without a licence is liable to a maximum fine of $10 million and imprisonment for 10 years.
Members of the public may report any suspected smuggling activities to Customs' 24-hour hotline 2545 6182 or its dedicated crime-reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hk).
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