Customs Busts Tuen Mun Fake Hard Drive Ring
HK01 · 3 SOURCESabout 2 hours ago2 MIN
Summary
Hong Kong Customs said it dismantled a suspected counterfeit hard drive supply ring after raiding five industrial building units in Tuen Mun on October 15, including two suspected processing workshops and three storage warehouses. Officers seized about 6,800 suspected counterfeit hard drives with an estimated market value of HK$50 million, as well as 20,000 used hard drives awaiting processing. Investigators alleged the group bought second-hand drives, removed original labels with adhesive remover, reformatted the devices with dedicated electronic equipment, tested that they still worked, then applied labels of genuine brands and packed them in anti-static bags to pass them off as new products. Six people were arrested, including a suspected ringleader, four suspected processing workers from mainland China and a local truck driver suspected of helping with transport.
Key Points
- Senior Customs investigator Hong Yan said the Intellectual Property Investigation Bureau had earlier identified a Tuen Mun-based group suspected of supplying counterfeit hard drives.
- Customs said a local truck driver allegedly moved suspected fake hard drives between several industrial units in the district, helping connect the group’s supply and processing chain.
- Officers found the workshops divided into storage, processing, formatting, sleeping and cooking areas, with toilets and shower facilities for round-the-clock work.
- Customs’ computer forensics personnel made an initial examination and believed the electronic devices were used to reformat used drives and ensure normal operation.
- All six suspects, aged 31 to 59, were detained; some were to be provisionally charged with possessing counterfeit goods for sale and breaching conditions of stay.
Why It Matters
The case points to risks for Hong Kong buyers and businesses that second-hand storage devices can be disguised as brand-new branded products and sold through ordinary commercial channels. It also raises concerns beyond trademark infringement, because reformatted used drives may conceal prior usage history while appearing to function normally, making detection harder for purchasers.