Two incoming passengers convicted and jailed for importing duty-not-paid cigarettes
Two incoming passengers were each sentenced to eight months' imprisonment and fined $2,000 at the West Kowloon Magistrates' Courts today (November 6) 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 a 39-year-old Mainland female passenger and a 37-year-old Mainland male passenger arriving in Hong Kong from Tokyo, Japan, at Hong Kong International Airport yesterday (November 5) and seized about 62 000 duty-not-paid cigarettes, with an estimated market value of about $310,000 and a duty potential of about $205,000, from their personal baggage. The two passengers were 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 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).
Two incoming passengers convicted and jailed for importing duty-not-paid cigarettes Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
CEDB supports collaboration of The Festival of Connoisseurs with Festa Nautica 2026
The new flagship international exhibition on premium lifestyle brought in by the Government, The Festival of Connoisseurs (TFOC),joined together with Festa Nautica 2026, organised by Lantau Yacht Club Hong Kong, to extend its innovative "city-as-your-showroom" concept. The Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Mr Algernon Yau, attended the opening ceremony of Festa Nautica 2026 in Discovery Bay today (November 6).
TFOC is the first international flagship exhibition supported by the Government's $100 million funding. It showcased renowned global and Chinese Mainland brands centred on premium lifestyle such as superyachts and supercars. The three-day exhibition at AsiaWorld-Expo concluded today. As a key extension and collaborative project of the exhibition, Festa Nautica 2026 is being held at Lantau Yacht Club Hong Kong in Discovery Bay from today until November 8. It brings together international nautical and lifestyle brands, offering further immersive experiences for yacht-industry visitors from around the world and members of the public.
Addressing the opening ceremony, Mr Yau said that the crossover enables visitors to gain in-depth experience of Hong Kong's unique appeal as an international maritime and premium tourism hub, while attracting world-class exhibitors and high-spending visitors, thereby enhancing brand exposure and driving the development of related industries. In addition, the collaboration between the two organisers, Informa Markets and Lantau Yacht Club Hong Kong, not only enriches the exhibitions' contents, but also creates greater synergies for Hong Kong's exhibition and mega-events economy as well as its maritime industry, embodying a spirit of mutual benefits and win-win co-operation.
He added that the convention and exhibition (C&E) industry has long been an important pillar underpinning Hong Kong's status as an international trading centre. Apart from promoting trade and brand-building opportunities across various sectors, C&E events attract high-spending overnight business visitors to Hong Kong, benefiting local industries including hotels, catering, retail, entertainment, professional services etc, while generating considerable economic value and creating employment opportunities.
The Commerce and Economic Development Bureau will continue to attract high value-added exhibitions to Hong Kong with a view to consolidating Hong Kong's status as international trade centre and C&E hub, promoting the development of related industries, and injecting new impetus into the overall economy.
Source: AI-found images
