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]()
For companies and individuals who regularly move goods or personnel across borders, VisaHQ can simplify the maze of documentation by securing travel visas, import licences and other regulatory filings in one streamlined process. Their Hong Kong portal (https://www.visahq.com/hong-kong/) offers fast, compliant solutions that help couriers, distributors and business travellers avoid costly delays and stay on the right side of customs rules.
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.
For companies and individuals who regularly move goods or personnel across borders, VisaHQ can simplify the maze of documentation by securing travel visas, import licences and other regulatory filings in one streamlined process. Their Hong Kong portal (https://www.visahq.com/hong-kong/) offers fast, compliant solutions that help couriers, distributors and business travellers avoid costly delays and stay on the right side of customs rules.
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.
