Customs and Police officers today seized five speedboats off Tung Chung, involved in a January 14 seafood smuggling case.

The 31-year-old male owner of one of the vessels was arrested and released on bail.

This is the first time the two departments detained vessels using a new provision of the Import & Export Ordinance, under which a vessel of less than 250 gross tonnes having a facility to mount one, or more than one, outboard engine where the total engine power exceeds 225 horsepower can be presumed to have been used for smuggling, and the vessels and goods involved are liable to forfeiture.