Incoming passenger convicted and jailed for importing duty-not-paid cigarettes
An incoming female passenger was sentenced to three months' imprisonment and fined $1,500 by the West Kowloon Magistrates' Courts today (September 4) 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 Mainland female passenger, aged 45, at Hong Kong International Airport yesterday (September 3) and seized 19 800 duty-not-paid cigarettes with an estimated market value of about $99,000 and a duty potential of about $65,500, 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.
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
Secretary for Health chairs 17th meeting of Steering Committee on Prevention and Control of Non-Communicable Diseases
The Secretary for Health, Professor Lo Chung-mau, chaired the 17th meeting of the Steering Committee on Prevention and Control of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) today (September 4) to discuss strategies and actions to tackle NCDs.
Professor Lo said, "In 2025, NCDs such as cancers, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes mellitus and chronic respiratory diseases accounted for more than half (53.7 per cent) of all registered deaths in Hong Kong. Similar to many other countries and regions, Hong Kong is facing public health threats driven by an ageing population and NCDs, which impose a mounting burden on society and the healthcare system."
In the meeting, members evaluated the progress of nine local targets for NCD prevention and control. Professor Lo emphasised, "Through multidisciplinary collaboration, the risk of premature mortality from the four aforementioned major NCDs in Hong Kong has declined continuously, with a 28 per cent reduction compared to 2010, indicating that our efforts have translated into concrete and measurable health outcomes. Reasons for this include a marked decline in Hong Kong's smoking rate, from 23.3 per cent in 1982 to a historic low of 8.5 per cent in 2025, which directly reduced the public's risk of developing severe tobacco-related diseases or even mortality."
However, common risk factors for NCDs such as obesity and insufficient physical activity currently remain prevalent. With a view to effectively controlling the relevant risks, the Government launched Hong Kong's first Action Plan on Weight Management in March this year in accordance with the 2025 Policy Address and drawing on national and World Health Organization policy frameworks. Spearheaded by an interdepartmental Weight Management Working Group, which co-ordinates corresponding measures across sectors such as healthcare, education, recreation and culture, as well as urban planning, the Action Plan outlines five key directions and 15 specific objectives to be systematically implemented over three years. The Action Plan adopts a life-course approach to provide appropriate support at every key stage of life, from prenatal nutrition, habit formation during school years, health management for working adults to maintaining physical function in the elderly. More importantly, the Action Plan aims to strengthen the role of primary healthcare as the "gatekeeper", promote collaboration between Chinese and Western medicine and integrate health data through the eHealth platform, thereby supporting citizens in managing their health.
The Government is implementing the reform measures set out in the Primary Healthcare Blueprint at full steam to establish a prevention-oriented primary healthcare system. In March this year, the Health Bureau launched the Primary Healthcare Co-care Network, introducing preventive measures recommended in the Hong Kong Primary Healthcare Reference Framework for Life Course Preventive Care in Primary Healthcare, as well as a framework for regular screening and management of high-risk diseases. Furthermore, services provided by the Elderly Health Centres under the Department of Health (DH) will be progressively integrated into the district health network from October this year, allowing more people from different age groups and risk groups to receive full-cycle health management in the community.
To effectively monitor NCDs in Hong Kong and support the formulation of public health policies, the DH commenced the fourth territory-wide Population Health Survey last September, collecting pertinent information on the health status and lifestyles of the local population to update and enrich the Government's database on population health. The findings will facilitate the ongoing review of the various targets under the Strategy and Action Plan to Prevent and Control NCDs in Hong Kong.
Secretary for Health chairs 17th meeting of Steering Committee on Prevention and Control of Non-Communicable Diseases Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
Secretary for Health chairs 17th meeting of Steering Committee on Prevention and Control of Non-Communicable Diseases Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
