Incoming passenger convicted and jailed for dealing with duty-not-paid cigarettes and importing alternative smoking products
An incoming female passenger was sentenced to a total of five months' imprisonment by the Kowloon City Magistrates' Courts today (March 14) for dealing with duty-not-paid cigarettes, failing to declare them to Customs officers, as well as importing alternative smoking products, in contravention of the Dutiable Commodities Ordinance (DCO) and the Import and Export Ordinance (IEO).
Customs officers intercepted an incoming female passenger, aged 50, at Hong Kong International Airport on March 12. A total of 13 000 duty-not-paid cigarettes and 22 000 alternative smoking products, with an estimated market value of about $168,000 and a duty potential of about $42,000, were seized from her personal baggage. The passenger was subsequently arrested.
Customs welcomes the sentence. The custodial sentence has imposed a considerable deterrent effect and reflects 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.
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).
Incoming passenger convicted and jailed for dealing with duty-not-paid cigarettes and importing alternative smoking products Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
EMSD wins eleven awards at International Exhibition of Inventions in Geneva
The Electrical and Mechanical Services Department (EMSD) achieved outstanding results at the 51st International Exhibition of Inventions in Geneva, winning a total of 11 awards, including five gold medals, five silver medals and a bronze medal.
A spokesperson for the EMSD said today (March 15), "As an innovation facilitator of the Government, the EMSD will continue to support various government departments in identifying and applying innovation and technology solutions, as well as improving government services and enhancing productivity through technology empowerment."
Some of the award-winning projects are the successful cases matched through the E&M InnoPortal (inno.emsd.gov.hk). The InnoPortal has been facilitating the matching of technological needs from the Government with I&T solutions from the I&T sector to promote wider application and commercialisation of innovative E&M technologies since 2018. The effectiveness of the InnoPortal was recognised by the numerous awards achieved by the EMSD at the Exhibition.
The awarded projects by the EMSD are as follows:
Gold medals
AI-enabled Smart Water Tank Cleaning Robot
Automatic Control Methods and Devices for Air-Side Equipment Using Artificial Intelligence Technology
Marine Energy Innovation in Power Generation (In collaboration with the Marine Department by the EMSD)
Quadruped Confined Space Inspectors
Revolutionising Fault Detection in Air Handling Units and Chiller Systems in Healthcare Institutions
Silver medals
AI-powered UAV Inspection System for Floodlights
Cognitive Screening and Assessment through the Application of Mixed Reality and AI Technologies
PVSmart System
Robot Giraffe
SafeClean - Window Cleaning Robot
Bronze medal
Automatic Illuminance Measurement Robot
The International Exhibition of Inventions of Geneva is one of the most significant global annual events on inventions. This year, the Exhibition was held from March 11 to 15 in Geneva, Switzerland. About 1 000 inventions from 35 countries and regions were evaluated by the international jury of specialists.
EMSD wins eleven awards at International Exhibition of Inventions in Geneva Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
EMSD wins eleven awards at International Exhibition of Inventions in Geneva Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
EMSD wins eleven awards at International Exhibition of Inventions in Geneva Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
EMSD wins eleven awards at International Exhibition of Inventions in Geneva Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
EMSD wins eleven awards at International Exhibition of Inventions in Geneva Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
EMSD wins eleven awards at International Exhibition of Inventions in Geneva Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
