Hong Kong Customs Seizes 130,000 Suspected Illicit Cigarettes, Arrests Eleven Persons in Ongoing Operation

Hong Kong Customs takes territory-wide law enforcement actions against illicit cigarette selling points

Hong Kong Customs has been mounting an enforcement operation targeting cigarette retail points in various districts since July 12. A total of about 130 000 suspected illicit cigarettes, with an estimated market value of about $590,000 and a duty potential of about $430,000 were seized. Eleven persons were arrested.

During the operation, Customs officers disguised as customers conducted test buys at different cigarette retail points, including newsstands, stores, grocery shops and itinerant hawker booths. Eleven cigarette retail points in Sai Wan Ho, Yau Ma Tei, Kwai Chung and Sha Tau Kok were found to offer cigarettes for sale at a price less than the statutory duty imposed thereon. Customs officers thus took prompt enforcement actions to arrest the shop owners and staff. Eleven persons, comprising five men and six women aged between 31 and 75, were arrested.

The operation is still ongoing. Customs reminds cigarette retailers not to sell cigarettes of unknown sources and stay alert to cigarettes supplied at a price less than the statutory duty. Under the Dutiable Commodities Ordinance (Cap. 109), if a cigarette is offered for sale or supply at a consideration the value of which is less than the rate of duty imposed on the cigarette, the cigarette is dutiable goods. In addition, anyone involved in dealing with, possession of, selling or buying duty-not-paid 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, its dedicated crime-reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hk) or online form (eform.cefs.gov.hk/form/ced002).

Hong Kong Customs has been mounting an enforcement operation targeting cigarette retail points in various districts since July 12. A total of about 130 000 suspected illicit cigarettes, with an estimated market value of about $590,000 and a duty potential of about $430,000 were seized. Eleven persons were arrested. Photo shows one of the cigarette retail points connected with the cases. Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Hong Kong Customs has been mounting an enforcement operation targeting cigarette retail points in various districts since July 12. A total of about 130 000 suspected illicit cigarettes, with an estimated market value of about $590,000 and a duty potential of about $430,000 were seized. Eleven persons were arrested. Photo shows one of the cigarette retail points connected with the cases. Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Hong Kong Customs steps up enforcement operations to combat sea smuggling activities

Hong Kong Customs has mounted a special enforcement operation since late June against sea smuggling activities involving river trade vessels.

Since the operation began, through intelligence analysis and risk assessment, Customs has detected five cases involving river trade vessels departing from Hong Kong for Macao, seizing approximately 1.33 million suspected pharmaceutical products, 3 900 anti-obesity injections, 8 880 cosmetics injections, 59 kilograms of tobacco products, 9 700 cigarettes, 1 500 fishing tools and 723kg of suspected controlled sea cucumber, with an estimated value of about $87.5 million.

Investigations are ongoing. The likelihood of arrests is not ruled out.

Being a government department primarily responsible for tackling smuggling activities, Customs has long been combating various smuggling activities on all fronts. Customs will keep up its enforcement action and continue to resolutely combat sea smuggling activities through proactive risk management and intelligence-based enforcement strategies, and carry out targeted anti-smuggling operations at suitable times to crack down on relevant crimes.

Smuggling is a serious offence. Under the Import and Export Ordinance, any person found guilty of importing or exporting unmanifested cargo is liable upon conviction to a maximum fine of $2 million and imprisonment for seven years. Any person who imports pharmaceutical products and medicines without a valid import licence commits an offence. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $500,000 and imprisonment for two years.

Members of the public may report any suspected smuggling 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 steps up enforcement operations to combat sea smuggling activities Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases