Incoming passenger convicted and jailed for importing duty-not-paid cigarettes
An incoming female passenger was sentenced to four months' imprisonment and fined $2,000 at the West Kowloon Magistrates' Courts today (November 7) 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 44-year-old Mainland female passenger arriving in Hong Kong from Tokyo, Japan, at Hong Kong International Airport yesterday (November 6) and seized about 26,800 duty-not-paid cigarettes, with an estimated market value of about $134,000 and a duty potential of about $88,600 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 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).
An incoming female passenger was sentenced to four months' imprisonment and fined $2,000 by the West Kowloon Magistrates' Courts today (November 7) for importing duty-not-paid cigarettes and failing to declare them to Customs officers, in contravention of the Dutiable Commodities Ordinance. Photo shows the duty-not-paid cigarettes seized from the personal baggage of the passenger. Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
Hong Kong Customs seizes dried shark fins of suspected scheduled endangered species
Hong Kong Customs yesterday (November 7) seized about 31 kilograms of suspected scheduled dried shark fins of endangered species, with an estimated market value of about $130,000, at Hong Kong International Airport.
A 51-year-old Mainland female passenger arrived in Hong Kong from Brazil via Ethiopia yesterday. She was intercepted for customs clearance at the arrivals hall of the airport. Customs officers found the batch of suspected scheduled dried shark fins inside her check-in baggage. Upon inspection by officers of the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD), the batch of dried shark fins was suspected to be from endangered species listed in the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, and regulated under the Protection of Endangered Species of Animals and Plants Ordinance (Cap. 586) in Hong Kong. The woman was subsequently arrested by the Customs officers. The case was handed over to the AFCD for follow-up investigation.
The arrested woman has been charged by the AFCD with one count of illegal import of an Appendix II species.
Under the Protection of Endangered Species of Animals and Plants Ordinance, any person importing, exporting or possessing specimens of endangered species not in accordance with the Ordinance commits an offence and will be liable to a maximum fine of $10 million and imprisonment for 10 years upon conviction with the specimens forfeited.
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 seizes dried shark fins of suspected scheduled endangered species Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
