Customs officials on Friday seized four live endangered freshwater fish that a woman apparently tried to smuggle into Hong Kong inside her backpack via the Lok Ma Chau border crossing.

The department said in a statement that officers had intercepted a 52-year-old woman at the arrival hall of the Lok Ma Chau Spur Line Control Point, and found what appeared to be two live arowanas and two river stingray – all alive – inside water-filled plastic bags stuffed within her rucksack.

Officers of the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) were called in and confirmed that the fish were of an endangered species listed in the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

The AFCD has taken over the case for follow-up investigations.

The Customs Department, meanwhile, reminded members of the public not to carry any endangered species without the required licences in or out of Hong Kong, warning that violators face a maximum fine of HK$10 million and a prison term of ten years.