Joint operation by Hong Kong Customs, Marine Police and law enforcement agencies of Chinese Mainland detect seaborne illicit cigarette smuggling case with seizure worth about $92 million
Hong Kong Customs, the Marine Police and law enforcement agencies of the Chinese Mainland mounted a joint anti-smuggling operation yesterday (March 27) and detected a suspected smuggling case involving a river trade vessel in the southeast waters of Hong Kong. About 20 million suspected illicit cigarettes, with an estimated market value of about $92 million and a duty potential of about $68 million, were seized.
Based on risk assessment and intelligence analysis, Customs cooperated with the Marine Police and law enforcement agencies of the Chinese Mainland, namely, the Anti-Smuggling Bureau of Mainland Customs, the Department of Public Security of China and the China Coast Guard, to conduct an anti-smuggling operation in the aforementioned waters during the early hours yesterday. During the operation, a suspicious river trade vessel in the waters off Waglan Island was spotted. Customs officers immediately intercepted the river trade vessel. Upon examination, Customs officers seized the batch of suspected illicit cigarettes from two 45-foot containers on board the vessel.
During the operation, four men aged between 36 and 60, suspected to be connected to the case, were arrested.
An investigation is ongoing.
Customs will continue its risk assessment and intelligence analysis, and step up enforcement actions to combat cross-boundary illicit cigarettes activities. Smuggling is a serious offence. Under the Import and Export Ordinance, any person found guilty of importing or exporting unmanifested cargo is liable to a maximum fine of $2 million and imprisonment for seven years.
Under the Dutiable Commodities Ordinance, any person who 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/).
Joint operation by Hong Kong Customs, Marine Police and law enforcement agencies of Chinese Mainland detect seaborne illicit cigarette smuggling case with seizure worth about $92 million Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
Hong Kong Children's Hospital announces an incident involving a patient who was found in cardiac arrest after temporary ventilator circuit disconnection
The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:
The spokesperson for Hong Kong Children's Hospital (HKCH) issued the following statement today (March 28) concerning an incident involving a patient who was found in cardiac arrest after temporary ventilator circuit disconnection.
A 6-year-old boy was admitted to HKCH on December 24, 2025, due to his underlying rare disease. On March 25 this year, he underwent an interventional procedure under general anaesthesia, which was uneventful. Afterwards, he was transferred to the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) as planned for monitoring. In the PICU, he was kept intubated and placed on ventilator support for his protection. He was sedated with medications but remained conscious.
At 7.29am on March 26, a nurse found the patient in cardiac arrest. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) was commenced immediately on the patient.At the same time, the endotracheal (ET) tube connector was found disconnected from the ET tube and was immediately reconnected to the ventilator circuit. After resuscitation, the patient had returned to spontaneous circulation at 7.36am.His parents were immediately informed about the incident and the patient's condition. The hospital subsequently retrieved the patient's physiological monitor records which revealed that the patient had asystole from 7.20am.
Subsequently, the patient developed seizures which were controlled with anti-epileptic medications. Initial neurological investigations show no abnormalities so far. The patient is under intensive care including ventilator support and neuroprotective care. He remains haemodymically stable and is under close monitoring in the PICU.
The hospital is deeply concerned about the incident and has met with the parents to explain the situation. The hospital will continue to provide necessary support to the family. The case was reported to the Hospital Authority Head Office via the Advance Incident Reporting System. The hospital has taken immediate measures to strengthen the monitoring of patients requiring ventilator care in the intensive care unit.
A root cause analysis panel will be set up to investigate the incident and recommend improvement measures. The panel will look into the incident from all aspects, including but not limited to patient care and support, as well as operational procedures of medical devices and consumables.
The panel members are as follows:
Chairperson
Dr Sin Ngai-chuen
Hospital Chief Executive, Alice Ho Miu Ling Nethersole Hospital and Tai Po Hospital
Members
Dr Janice Chow
Consultant, Department of Paediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, Queen Mary Hospital
Ms Pilta Kan
Nurse Consultant, Department of Paediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, Queen Mary Hospital
Dr Raymond Cheung
Chief Manager (Patient Safety and Risk Management), Hospital Authority
Dr Osburga Chan
Service Director (Quality and Safety), Kowloon Central Cluster
Dr Eric Chan
Deputy Chief of Service, Department of Paediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Kwong Wah Hospital
Dr Sally Wong
Deputy Quality and Safety Coordinator, Hong Kong Children's Hospital
The panel will complete the investigation and recommend improvement measures within eight weeks. The report will be submitted to the Hospital Authority Head Office.
Source: AI-found images
