Hong Kong customs officials have arrested a 32-year-old Macao man, after HK$10 million (US$1.3 million) worth of gold was found in a secret compartment of his car, the South China Morning Post reports.
According to a superintendent from the customs department’s crimes investigation bureau, the man acted suspiciously when stopped for inspection at the border checkpoint on the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge on Monday.
A subsequent x-ray examination of the car revealed 20 gold bars hidden beneath its centre console, each weighing a kilogram.
[See more: Is Macao becoming a hub for drug traffickers?]
The Macao man, reportedly a chauffeur, was arrested on suspicion of gold smuggling and is being held for questioning. If convicted, he faces up to seven years in jail and a HK$2 million fine.
The superintendent did not rule out further arrests in the current case, and said an investigation was underway to determine the haul’s origin and intended recipient.
Illicitly transported gold tends to be destined for mainland China’s black market.
