A zoning complaint led to 18 endangered parrots
On May 26, Hong Kong's AFCD raided a rural plot in Lau Fau Shan — not on a wildlife tip, but because a Planning Department inspector flagged unauthorized land development. Inside: 18 live parrots, all CITES Appendix I, spanning six species from Brazil, Central America, and Indonesia including a hyacinth macaw. In Ho Chi Minh City, authorities dismantled two social-commerce counterfeit operations selling fake Gucci, Rolex, and Nike through TikTok and Shopee, netting over $304,000 in illegal profits.
1. The land-use inspector called the wrong department — and found 18 protected birds
On May 26, officers from Hong Kong's Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) conducted an enforcement raid on a private plot in Lau Fau Shan, a rural stretch of the New Territories on the northwestern coastline near Deep Bay. 1 They were not there because of a wildlife tip. They were there because the Planning Department had flagged the land for suspected unauthorized development under the Town Planning Ordinance and forwarded the case for joint follow-up. 1
What they found was 18 live parrots — every single one protected under CITES Appendix I, the treaty's most restrictive trade category. 1
The six species on the property: 1
- Goffin's cockatoos (Cacatua goffiniana) — white-crested parrots endemic to the Tanimbar Islands of Indonesia
- Blue-throated conures (Pyrrhura cruentata) — a small, vividly plumaged parrot from the Atlantic Forest of Brazil, listed as Vulnerable by the IUCN
- Golden conures (Guarouba guarouba) — entirely yellow-bodied, found only in northern Brazil; classified as Vulnerable
- Yellow-naped amazon parrots (Amazona auropalliata) — a Central American species; Critically Endangered, with wild populations in sharp decline from trapping
- Yellow-headed amazon parrots (Amazona oratrix) — also Critically Endangered; once exported heavily from Mexico before trade restrictions tightened
- Hyacinth macaw (Anodorhynchus hyacinthinus) — the world's largest flying parrot, native to central South America, capable of cracking palm nuts and macadamia shells with its beak
Two men were arrested at the scene after they could not produce possession permits required under Hong Kong's Protection of Endangered Species of Animals and Plants Ordinance (Cap. 586). 1 The maximum penalty under that ordinance is a HK$10 million fine and 10 years in prison, with all specimens forfeited on conviction.
The birds span three continents — Brazil, Central America, Indonesia, and the Amazon basin — held on a private New Territories lot. No smuggling route has been announced, and no import documentation appeared to exist for any of them.
An AFCD spokesperson said: "Illegal possession of endangered species is a serious offence. Any person contravening the Protection of Endangered Species of Animals and Plants Ordinance will be liable to a maximum fine of $10 million and imprisonment for 10 years, and the seized specimens will also be forfeited upon conviction." 1
The Planning Department separately issued an enforcement notice to the landowners for the unauthorized development — the original reason anyone was on that property at all.
2. TikTok, Facebook, Shopee — and 2,913 fake luxury items in two HCMC warehouses
Ho Chi Minh City's market surveillance authority, working with the Economic Police, dismantled two counterfeit luxury goods operations in May 2026 that had been running through TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Zalo, and Shopee. 2 Between them, the two sellers had collected illegal profits exceeding VND 8 billion (~$304,000). 2
The first seller operated out of a warehouse in Long Truong Ward. 2 Officers found more than 1,000 fake Nike, Adidas, and Converse shoes and socks with an estimated value of VND 2.85 billion (~$108,000). The operation had been running since mid-2023, taking orders through social media and shipping by courier to avoid direct buyer contact. Total profits: over VND 3.5 billion (~$133,000). 2
The second seller, based in Cho Lon Ward, moved into higher-end territory: 1,913 items — clothing, shoes, watches, and handbags bearing fake Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Burberry, Dior, Hermès, and Rolex branding. 2 Operating since early 2024 through Facebook, Zalo, and TikTok, this seller accumulated over VND 4.5 billion (~$171,000) in profits. 2 Both sellers admitted to authorities that they knew the goods were counterfeit but continued because of the margins.
The courier-only model — no physical storefront, orders routed through platforms, packages dispatched directly to buyers — means neither seller ever physically met a customer. 2 The warehouses were the only fixed points in the operation, which is presumably where investigators eventually focused.
Across all of HCMC in 2026, authorities have so far handled 882 counterfeit goods cases, seizing more than 77,100 items and issuing VND 5.1 billion (~$194,000) in fines — with 71 of those cases traced to Ben Thanh Market and Saigon Square shopping center. 2
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