Customs officers have arrested three men and seized about $2.6 million worth of goods, including about 3,300kg of nickel and 7,200 mobile-phone LCD displays.

The men are believed to be part of a syndicate suspected of being involved in the smuggling of nickel and mobile phone parts into the Mainland by concealing them in altered container-truck axles.

About 9.30am yesterday, Customs officers in Lok Ma Chau stopped a departing container truck declared to be empty. They uncovered about 500kg of nickel, worth about $100,000, inside a false compartment in the rear axle gear compartment of the tractor and the hollowed-out trailer axle. They arrested the 42-year-old male driver.

Around noon yesterday the officers raided a workshop at Tong Yan San Tsuen, Yuen Long, and equipment and a large quantity of goods suspected to be for smuggling purposes.

The goods included 2,800kg of nickel and 7,200 mobile-phone LCD displays. The officers seized two altered trailer axles, and detained a container tractor and an empty container. Two men, aged 41 and 42, were arrested.