Two incoming passengers convicted and jailed for dealing with and possessing duty-not-paid cigarettes
Two incoming passengers were both sentenced to four months' imprisonment and fined $3,000 by the West Kowloon Magistrates' Courts today (February 25) for dealing with and possessing duty-not-paid cigarettes and failing to declare them to Customs officers, in contravention of the Dutiable Commodities Ordinance (DCO).
Customs officers intercepted an incoming female passenger, aged 40, at Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) on December 17, 2025, and seized 38 800 duty-not-paid cigarettes with an estimated market value of about $175,000 and a duty potential of about $128,000, from her personal baggage. The passenger was subsequently arrested. She was sentenced to four months' imprisonment and fined $3,000 by the Courts today.
As well, Customs officers intercepted another incoming female passenger, aged 39, at HKIA on the same day and seized 31 600 duty-not-paid cigarettes with an estimated market value of about $142,000 and a duty potential of about $104,000, from her personal baggage. The passenger was subsequently arrested. She was sentenced to four months' imprisonment and fined $3,000 by the Courts today.
Customs welcomes the sentences. The custodial sentences have imposed a considerable deterrent effect and reflect the seriousness of the offences.
Customs reminds members of the public that under the DCO, cigarettes 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 $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).
Two incoming passengers convicted and jailed for dealing with and possessing duty-not-paid cigarettes Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
Two incoming passengers convicted and jailed for dealing with and possessing duty-not-paid cigarettes Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
Hospital Authority welcomes 2026-27 Budget
The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:
The Hospital Authority (HA) Chairman, Mr Henry Fan, welcomed the 2026-27 Budget announced by the Financial Secretary, Mr Paul Chan, at the Legislative Council today (February 25). The 2026-27 annual subvention for the HA will be $103.1 billion (including $101.8 billion recurrent), having increased by 2.9 per cent compared to the 2025-26 revised provision.
Mr Fan expressed his gratitude to the Government for the continuous increase to the subvention for the HA in order to support the enhancement of public healthcare services. The Public Healthcare Fees and Charges Reform has been fully implemented and has shown initial success. The HA will continue to make optimal use of resources and ensure their proper allocation so that public resources are used effectively to promote the sustainable development of public healthcare services. Enhancing healthcare protection for the "poor, acute, serious, critical" patients on all fronts will ensure that the resources of the public healthcare system can be directed in a targeted manner to help those patients most in need, and fulfil the healthcare system's role as a safety net.
Mr Fan said, "With the staunch support of our nation and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government, the HA will continue to strengthen its services to provide patients with timely treatment and care. The HA will continue to strive to provide high-quality medical services to the public. The HA is conducting accreditation for various public hospitals, and is setting up a third stroke centre in accordance with national accreditation standards."
The HA Chief Executive, Dr Libby Lee, thanked the HKSAR Government for supporting the continuous enhancement of public hospital services. "The HA will continue to strengthen its service capacity to meet the needs of the community, which includes enhancing service quality, streamlining processes, reducing patient waiting times and optimising hospital environments. The HA is committed to provide patient-centred clinical services with warmth, so that patients could receive appropriate medical treatment in a well-maintained environment," said Dr Lee.
The HA will continue to execute various measures for the sustainable development of public healthcare and align with the policy on primary healthcare, including the enhancement of Family Medicine Integrated Centres and Family Medicine Clinics in different districts. In the coming financial year, over 200 additional public hospital beds will be opened and continuous improvements will be made to specialist out-patient clinics and radiology services, as well as the provision of additional operating theatre sessions. Meanwhile, ophthalmology services will also be strengthened by increasing the service capacity of cataract, eye surgery and other treatment procedures.
The HA will reinforce holistic care for cancer patients utilising AI to improve the accuracy and efficiency of cancer diagnoses, and increasing cancer-related genetic and genomic testing. The HA will provide fast-track diagnostic services to patients with suspected lung cancer and implement a cancer case manager programme to provide timely treatment tailored to patient needs. Additionally, the HA will continue to enhance palliative and end-of-life care services to enable terminally ill patients to die with dignity.
Mr Fan and Dr Lee once again thanked the HKSAR Government for its support of public healthcare services. The HA will utilise the subvention properly and strive to implement relevant measures for the benefit of patients.
Source: AI-found images
