Customs officers on Friday said they'd found 40 mobile phones strapped to a man's armpits and waist at a border crossing in a suspected smuggling case.

Officers seized the phones, which are worth an estimated HK$35,000, and arrested a 39-year-old man on suspicion of attempting to import or export radiocommunications equipment without a licence.

Customs said the man was attempting to cross into the mainland at the Shenzhen Bay Control Point on Thursday. Investigations are continuing.

Officers said that with the full reopening of quarantine-free travel with the mainland, they will step up checks on cross-border travellers and take enforcement action to stop different kinds of smuggling activities.