Hong Kong and Chinese mainland customs confiscated a total of 430 kilograms of smuggled hairy crabs, frozen meat and eggs during a series of joint operations between August and September, arresting six suspects.

At a news briefing on Friday morning, officials from the Hong Kong Customs and Excise Department said it had uncovered six smuggling cases in collaboration with Chinese mainland customs between August and September, seizing smuggled food including about 260 kg of frozen meat, 170 kg of hairy crabs — a popular autumn cuisine, in Chinese culture — and 600 eggs, with a total estimated value of around HK$200,000 ($25,752).

The weight and number of the hairy crabs seized was the largest amount to be seized in a single haul this year, officials said.

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Customs investigator Wong Wing-yan said three of the cases were uncovered in August, with two men and one woman arrested for illegally importing frozen meat through the Sha Tau Kok port.

The frozen meat had been placed into foam boxes and then brought into Hong Kong. Upon inspection, customs officers found that the three suspects could not provide relevant import documents or health certificates.

Those wanting to import raw meat, seafood and eggs to Hong Kong must obtain hygiene certificates and import permissions from the authorities before bringing it into the territory, in accordance with Hong Kong law.

In September, three people were arrested for allegedly illegally importing frozen meat, hairy crabs and raw eggs on cross-boundary trucks at the Man Kam To control point, said senior customs investigator Chow Chun-hung.

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Customs said that the meat and eggs, which had not undergone any hygiene tests, had not been stored at a suitable temperature during transportation, and the origins of the foods were also unknown.

If these foods had entered the market, they could have posed a serious food safety risk, warned customs officials.

At the briefing, the Centre for Food Safety said the food industry must not import or sell foods of unknown origin, and advised the public to buy their food from merchants holding relevant licenses and permits from the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department.

Contact the writer at fangxue@chinadailyhk.com