The Macau Customs Service announced in a statement on Sunday that it officers seized 50 kilograms of stony corals* – also known as hard corals – last Monday at the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge (HKZMB) checkpoint.
According to the statement, last Monday, customs officers at the mega bridge’s Macau Port checkpoint arrivals lane intercepted a cross-border vehicle through the bridge’s risk management system.
An investigation revealed that a local driver attempted to smuggle 50 kilograms of stony corals into Macau.
According to Macau’s External Trade Law, the driver faces a maximum fine 100,000 patacas, while the seized contraband has been confiscated, the statement said, adding that the local driver has been referred to the Economic and Technological Development Bureau (DSEDT) for follow-up action on suspicion of violating relevant provisions of the implementing legislation for the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).
*“Stony corals” are marine animals in the order Scleractinia within the class Anthozoa. They are characterised by their ability to secrete a hard, solid skeleton made of calcium carbonate (aragonite). This skeletal structure forms the primary architectural foundation of coral reefs, making them the world’s most significant reef-building organisms. – DeepSeek
This undated handout photo provided by the Macau Customs Service on Sunday shows the 50 kilograms of stony corals seized by its officers last Monday at the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge (HKZMB) Macau Port (checkpoint).
