Five incoming passengers convicted and jailed for possessing duty-not-paid cigarettes and importing alternative smoking products
Four men and a woman were each sentenced to four to eight months' imprisonment and fined between $500 to $1,000 at the West Kowloon Magistrates' Courts on April 30 and today (May 2) for possession of duty-not-paid cigarettes and failing to declare to Customs Officers, as well as for importing alternative smoking products, in contravention of the Dutiable Commodities Ordinance (DCO) and the Import and Export Ordinance (IEO).
Customs officers intercepted four incoming male passengers, aged between 27 and 43, and a 44-year-old female passenger at Hong Kong International Airport on March 4 and 5. About 128 400 duty-not-paid cigarettes and about 205 200 alternative smoking products, with an estimated market value of about $1.18 million and a duty potential of about $420,000 in total, were seized from their personal baggage. They were subsequently arrested.
Customs welcomes the sentence. The custodial sentence has imposed a considerable deterrent effect and reflects the seriousness of the offences.
Under the DCO, tobacco products are dutiable goods to which the DCO applies. Any person who imports, deals with, possesses, sells or buys illicit cigarettes commits an offence. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $1 million and imprisonment for two years.
Under the IEO, any person who imports an alternative smoking product into Hong Kong commits an offence. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $2 million and imprisonment for seven years.
Members of the public may report any suspected illicit cigarette activities to Customs' 24-hour hotline 182 8080 or its dedicated crime-reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hk) or online form (eform.cefs.gov.hk/form/ced002).
Five incoming passengers convicted and jailed for possessing duty-not-paid cigarettes and importing alternative smoking products Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
