Hong Kong police and customs seized illegal $3.4 million in contraband, including an endangered tortoise, after disrupting smugglers at Tai O on Tuesday night.

Acting on a tip-off, Marine Police and customs officers found a group of men loading packages aboard a speedboat in Tai O at about 8pm, Apple Daily reports.

As officers moved in, the speedboat took off and fled toward Chinese waters. Marine police intercepted the craft and forced it back toward Tai O port, but the driver of the boat escaped along with seven men on the shore.

Law enforcement officers seized 35 suspected smuggled goods at the scene including African spurred tortoise, which is on the UN endangered list and a CITES-protected species. The goods, which also included animal fur and amber among, had a total market value of about HK$3.4 million.

Photo: Melissa Mitchell (Baseballchck02 at en.wikipedia), Creative Commons