Hong Kong man caught with $580,000 taped to his body in smuggling attempt

A Hong Kong man was arrested with stacks of cash strapped to his body on Wednesday as he was suspected of attempting to smuggle over half a million US dollars across the border into Shenzhen, China.



The man was trying to cross Sha Tau Kok customs at around midnight but was reported to have been detained by border police after acting suspiciously. When ordered to open his luggage for inspection, the man “abruptly discarded the bag and began to flee before he was overpowered by border police officers”.

Police later revealed he had been carrying US$580,000 (HK$4.5 million) in bags and strapped to his body, including thick stacks of US$100 bills attached to his lower legs, hidden under his jeans. He was reported to have also had money wrapped around his waist.



After customs officers had searched him the piles of cash spread across an entire table. Chinese law stipulates travellers are in general only allowed to carry up to US$5,000 worth of foreign currency when entering the mainland without submitting a declaration form. The case has been described as “extraordinarily serious”, a phrase in Chinese used to describe the most serious level of offence.