Man Sentenced to Four Months for Smuggling $146,000 in Duty-Not-Paid Cigarettes at Hong Kong Airport

Incoming passenger convicted and jailed for importing duty-not-paid cigarettes

An incoming male passenger was sentenced to four months' imprisonment and fined $2,000 by the West Kowloon Magistrates' Courts today (May 14) for importing 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 male passenger, aged 44, at Hong Kong International Airport yesterday (May 13) and seized 29 200 duty-not-paid cigarettes, with an estimated market value of about $146,000 and a duty potential of about $96,500, from his 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.

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 importing duty-not-paid cigarettes Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Police National Security Department charges three men

The National Security Department (NSD) of the Hong Kong Police Force yesterday (May 13) laid charges against three men, aged between 20 and 23. They were jointly charged with one count of “conspiracy to commit subversion”, while the 20-year-old man faces an additional charge of “possession of child pornography”.

The case was mentioned at the West Kowloon Magistrates’ Courts today (May 14).

During an enforcement operation conducted on December 11 and 12, 2025, the NSD arrested ten individuals suspected of committing the offence of “unlawful drilling” under Section 13 of the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance. Two men, aged 24 and 26, were previously charged jointly with one count of “conspiracy to commit subversion”.

The remaining arrested persons in the case have been released on bail pending further investigation and are required to report to the Police in mid-June.

Investigation revealed that a syndicate conducted firearms drills, knife techniques, and martial arts combat in a unit of an industrial building in Kowloon, and conspired, organised, planned, carried out or participated in acts aimed at subverting state power by means of force or threat of force, i.e., to overthrow the organs of power of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

Source: AI-found images