Man sentenced to six months for smuggling 28,000 duty-not-paid cigarettes into Hong Kong.

Incoming passenger convicted and jailed for possession of duty-not-paid cigarettes

An incoming male passenger was sentenced to six months' imprisonment and fined $1,000 by the West Kowloon Magistrates' Courts today (August 3) for possession of duty-not-paid cigarettes and failing to declare them to Customs officers, in contravention of the Dutiable Commodities Ordinance (DCO).

Customs officers intercepted a 27-year-old incoming Mainland male passenger at Hong Kong International Airport yesterday (August 2) and seized 28 000 duty-not-paid cigarettes, with an estimated market value of $126,000 and a duty potential of about $92,500, 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 possession of duty-not-paid cigarettes Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Two company directors fined $66,000 for contravening Employment Ordinance

Two directors of Xtech Lighting System Company Limited and Xtech Engineering Company Limited were prosecuted by the Labour Department (LD) for violating the requirements under the Employment Ordinance (EO). The two directors pleaded guilty at the Shatin Magistrates' Courts today (August 3) and were fined a total sum of $66,000. The directors were also ordered to pay the employees concerned an outstanding total sum of about $102,000.

The companies wilfully and without reasonable excuse contravened the requirements of the EO, failing to pay two employees' wages within seven days after the expiry of the wage periods and termination of employment contracts totalling about $123,000, as well as the awarded sums totalling about $117,000 within 14 days after the date set by the Labour Tribunal (LT). The two directors concerned were prosecuted and convicted for their consent, connivance or neglect in the above offences.

"The ruling will disseminate a strong message to all employers, directors and responsible officers of companies that they have to pay wages, termination payments and sums awarded by the LT or the Minor Employment Claims Adjudication Board to employees within the statutory time limit stipulated in the EO," a spokesman for the LD said.

"The LD will not tolerate these offences and will spare no effort in enforcing the law and safeguarding employees' statutory rights," the spokesman added.

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