HONG KONG -- Hong Kong Customs announced on Monday that about 146 kg of suspected smuggled gold was seized at the Hong Kong International Airport last month, which was the largest gold-smuggling case detected by Hong Kong Customs on record in terms of the seizure value.

On March 27, the customs examined an outbound air cargo consignment, declared as carrying two air compressors departing for Japan, at the Customs Cargo Examination Compound at the Hong Kong International Airport. Upon inspection, customs officers found the batch of suspected smuggled gold, which was moulded and camouflaged as air compressor parts, concealed in the integral parts of the two air compressors.

After a follow-up investigation, customs officers on April 3 arrested a 31-year-old man suspected to be connected with the case in Hung Hom. An investigation is ongoing. The arrested man has been released on bail pending further investigation.

Hong Kong Customs said they did not rule out the possibility that lawbreakers set up companies without substantive business operations and then entrust logistics companies to airlift machines from Hong Kong to Japan to evade local taxes.