Nine people accused of attempting to smuggle Hong Kong activists to Taiwan were arrested over the weekend, the city's police said.
Five women and four men were taken into custody for allegedly helping pro-democracy protesters escape to Taiwan in August. The 12 escapees were caught and charged with illegally crossing the border.
The nine arrested over the weekend were allegedly "funding the whole smuggling operation, providing a boat, providing transportation and providing accommodation before absconding from Hong Kong," said organized crime division Superintendent Tony Ho at a news conference.
In an early morning raid, police found the suspects in possession of HK$500,000 ($64,000) in cash and receipts for a boat. They were detained on suspicion of assisting offenders - a charge with a maximum 10-year penalty.
Hong Kong pro-democracy politicians and activists spoke out against the arrests. But while Joshua Wong branded the move as "revenge" by the police on the region's pro-democracy movement, the force defended its actions as working against criminal conspirators.
"We suspect the nine individuals were involved in helping the 12 people escape court hearings and arrest by police," the superintendent said. He said the escapees had paid the nine suspects hundreds of thousands of Hong Kong dollars to convey them to Taiwan.
All but one of the "Hong Kong 12" faced protest-related court charges in Hong Kong when they set out for Taiwan in late August.
China's treatment of the detainees, the youngest aged just 16, has attracted international condemnation for its failure to provide legal representation and visitation rights.
Ho said the speedboat stopped in August by China's coast guard was probably carrying the Hong Kong escapees to a larger vessel for the cross-strait journey - which is more than 400 nautical miles and takes up to a day.
Taiwan is regarded as safe by many in Hong Kong. Nearly 11% of city residents were seriously considering relocating permanently, a recent survey by the Chinese University of Hong Kong found.
