Marine Police arrested nine people and seized $10 million worth of suspected smuggled goods off Ninepin Group during an anti-smuggling operation on Friday morning.

At about 9.30 am yesterday, officers of the Small Boat Division spotted several suspicious vessels in the vicinity of Ninepin Group.

Police sped to the area between North and South Ninepin Islands and found a cargo vessel from which a number of fully laden speedboats were seen fleeing.

Officers then signalled for the speedboats to stop, but they accelerated and disappeared after rounding Mirs Point. The cargo vessel with nine Hong Kong men onboard was intercepted for inspection near South Ninepin Island. 

A large quantity of suspected smuggled goods in 844 cartoon boxes comprising computer hard disks, mobile telephones and other electronic goods were found onboard the cargo vessel, with an estimated value of some $10 million. 

The nine men, aged 18 to 54, were arrested for attempting to export unmanifested cargo after failing to produce valid documents for the goods.