Hong Kong customs officials have made a significant bust by seizing 145 kg of gold bars hidden in 14 suitcases at the airport. This operation, which took place on March 25, 2025, marks one of the largest gold smuggling attempts ever recorded by the agency.

The gold bars were discovered during a routine inspection of a shipment destined for Japan. Customs officers, using risk assessment and intelligence analysis, identified a suspicious shipment that included 26 plastic suitcases weighing a total of 472 kg. Upon scanning the luggage with X-ray machines, they noticed irregularities in 14 of the suitcases, indicating that they did not conform to the expected structure of typical luggage.

Upon further inspection, customs officials found that the actual weight of the suspicious suitcases was significantly higher than declared. Each suitcase was supposed to weigh 10.4 kg, but the actual weight was approximately 23 kg. Inside each suitcase, there were three nested suitcases, with the innermost containing a locked black plastic box. After cutting the locks and removing the packaging, officials discovered the gold bars, which were concealed in a total of seven layers of packaging across all 14 suitcases.

In total, the operation revealed 145 gold bars, each weighing 1 kg, with an estimated value of around 110 million HKD (approximately 369 billion VND). The investigation indicated that the shipment was sent by a trading company in Hong Kong, while the recipient was a trading company in Japan. However, upon verification, it was found that the sending company did not have any business registration, suggesting that the smugglers were using false information to conceal their identities.

The primary motive for transporting this gold was to evade import taxes and regulations in Japan. Preliminary investigations suggested that had the smuggling been successful, the smugglers could have avoided paying around 11 million HKD in taxes. Following this discovery, Hong Kong customs has expanded its investigation to trace the origins of the gold and the identities of the sender and recipient.