Hong Kong Customs' "Clear Sky" operation combats illicit cigarette smuggling activities involving air passengers and related illicit cigarette storage centres
Hong Kong Customs mounted an enforcement operation codenamed "Clear Sky" to combatillicit cigarette smuggling activities involving air passengers and related illicit cigarette storage centres between March 3 and today (March 11), and cracked down on a transnational syndicate that smuggled illicit cigarettes through air passengers. A total of about 10.9 million suspected illicit cigarettes with an estimated market value of about $49 million and a duty potential of about $36 million were seized. Thirty persons connected with the cases were arrested.
In response to the trend that illicit cigarette syndicates have been making use of air passengers to smuggle illicit cigarettes, Customs strengthened enforcement against the smuggling of illicit cigarettes at the airport and related storage centres.
During the operation, Customs detected 18 illicit cigarette smuggling cases involving passengers at the airport and seized a total of about 800 000 suspected illicit cigarettes. Eighteen passengers, aged between 29 and 63 and arriving in Hong Kong from the East and Southeast Asian regions, were arrested.
Following intelligence analyses and in-depth investigations of the cases, Customs discovered that a cigarette smuggling syndicate had been using industrial buildings and remote metal huts as storage and distribution centres. The illicit cigarettes would berepackaged and subsequently supplied to the local area or transported to logistics centres for transshipment to regions with higher tobacco duties for profit.
Customs then mounted a series of enforcement actions in the city and raided a total of five suspected illicit cigarette storage centres in four industrial building units in Tuen Mun and Kwai Chung and one metal hut in San Tin. A total of about 10.1 million suspected illicit cigarettes were seized and 12 persons, aged between 33 and 66, were arrested.
Twenty of the arrestees have beeen charged with dealing with or possessing duty-not-paid cigarettes, or failing to declare them to Customs officers, in contravention of the Dutiable Commodities Ordinance (DCO).
Moreover, in the fourth quarter of 2025, Customs arrested 49 persons for smuggling in illicit cigarettes at the airport, and 47 of them were convicted and sentenced to imprisonment terms of between four weeks and nine months at the Magistrates' Courts. Customs welcomes the sentences. The custodial sentences have imposed a considerable deterrent effect and reflect the seriousness of the offences.
It is believed that the supply chain of illicit cigarettes has been effectively intercepted at the source and disrupted within the territory. Customs will continue its risk assessment and intelligence analyses for interception at source as well as through its multipronged enforcement strategy targeting storage, distribution and peddling to vigorously combat illicit cigarette activities.
Under the DCO, 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).
Hong Kong Customs mounted an enforcement operation codenamed "Clear Sky" to combat illicit cigarette smuggling activities involving air passengers and related illicit cigarette storage centres between March 3 and today (March 11). Photo shows some of the suspected illicit cigarettes seized from a suspected illicit storage centre in an industrial building in Kwai Chung. Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
Hong Kong Customs mounted an enforcement operation codenamed "Clear Sky" to combat illicit cigarette smuggling activities involving air passengers and related illicit cigarette storage centres between March 3 and today (March 11). Photo shows some of the suspected illicit cigarettes seized from a suspected illicit storage centre in an industrial building in Tuen Mun. Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
Hong Kong Customs mounted an enforcement operation codenamed "Clear Sky" to combat illicit cigarette smuggling activities involving air passengers and related illicit cigarette storage centres between March 3 and today (March 11). Photo shows some of the suspected illicit cigarettes seized at the airport. Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
