Incoming passenger convicted and jailed for possession of duty-not-paid cigarettes
An incoming female passenger was sentenced to six weeks' imprisonment with a fine of $1,500 by the Fanling Magistrates' Courts today (October 28) for possessing duty-not-paid cigarettes and failing to declare them to Customs officers, in contravention of Dutiable Commodities Ordinance (DCO).
Customs officers intercepted an incoming 72-year-old local female passenger at the Lok Ma Chau Spur Line Control Point on October 10 and seized 961 duty-not-paid cigarettes from her, with an estimated market value of about $4,800, and a duty potential of about $3,100. The female passenger was subsequently arrested.
Customs welcomes the sentence. The custodial sentence has imposed a considerable deterrent effect and reflects the seriousness of the offences. Members of the public should not defy the law.
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
Remarks by CS at media session (with photo/video)
The Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Chan Kwok-ki, met the media today (October 28) with the Secretary for Security, Mr Tang Ping-keung, and the Secretary for Transport and Logistics, Ms Mable Chan, on the operational arrangements for the Huanggang Port Hong Kong Port Area during the Halloween weekend. Following are the remarks of Mr Chan:
Reporter: What measures will be adopted to ensure smooth operation at the Huanggang Port amid the expected travel peak? And also, how will the Government cope with the rise in traffic flow and prioritise public transport? Thank you.
Chief Secretary for Administration: I think the main cause of the congestion last week was the many passengers who passed through the control point almost at the same time, so it was already beyond the hourly capacity of the control point. This is the main problem. What we are doing now is to make announcements to the public, and we want to appeal to the public not to use the control point at these peak hours. Try to avoid using the control point during peak hours at the same time. We will give public transportation first priority. For private cars, in case of congestion, they will be arranged to the holding area, to wait for clearance at the control point. Another point is about the illegal hire car. We will take enforcement action because this is not good for passengers and because there is a risk that, in case of an accident, insurance will not cover the damage. So I want to appeal to the public not to use these unlicensed hire cars. We will take enforcement action against them during these few days, and if they continue these illegal activities, other than prosecution, we will also consider cancelling their Closed Road Permits. And also we will consider referring the case to Mainland authorities for follow-up action.
(Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the remarks.)
Remarks by CS at media session (with photo/video) Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
