The Hong Kong police announced on Friday that a 67-year-old man has been arrested in connection with a cache of firearms seized earlier by the police, including 18 handguns and over 100 rounds of ammunition.
Police said the weapons were found in a mini-storage facility rented by the suspect in Sha Tin during a police raid on Wednesday.
At a press conference on Friday morning, Franky Cheung Ting-fung, superintendent of the Hong Kong Police Force’s Organized Crime and Triad Bureau, said that 18 handguns, more than 100 rounds of ammunition of different calibers, more than 100 different types of firearms components, a stun gun, 11 knives, and four daggers were found at the facility.
Police said the suspect is a local gun zealot and collector, but so far there is no evidence to suggest he is linked with any radical groups or activities.
A background check revealed that he once ran three companies — related to firearms dealing, movie props and military models — and that he used to manage a shooting club. He also had various gun licenses for processing and trading in guns, but all had been revoked by 2008, police said.
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A preliminary police examination of the cache revealed that all the guns and ammunition are genuine; the force added that the arms could have been smuggled into Hong Kong, and that they are investigating whether they could have been used in other criminal cases.
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The suspect will be charged with the offenses of possession of arms or ammunition without a license, and possession of prohibited weapons. Investigations have also revealed that the suspect may have used forged documents to rent the mini-storage facility.
According to the Firearms and Ammunition Ordinance, any person who contravenes the offense of possession of arms or ammunition without a license faces a maximum penalty of HK$100,000 ($12,774) and 14 years’ imprisonment.
