Hong Kong Customs further arrests director of trader supplying suspected law-breaking surgical masks

     Hong Kong Customs arrested an online trader's director today (May 25) in connection with a case of supplying surgical masks suspected of violating the Trade Descriptions Ordinance (TDO), following an arrest of the trader's authorised representative last Friday (May 22).

     The 20-year-old man arrested today has been released on bail and case investigation is ongoing.

     In the case, Customs launched an investigation upon receiving complaints earlier. The trader involved had all along been failing to provide authentication after repeated demands during the Customs investigation to prove the masks supplied comply with the labelled claims. Arrests were made accordingly for suspected violation of the TDO.

     Customs strongly condemns any false accusation maliciously alleging that its law enforcement action against the trader is "political repression". The department stresses that its "Guardian" operation, which has been running since January this year, aims to ensure that common protective items available for sale in the market comply with the regulation of relevant ordinances. Immediate public announcements on suspected law-breaking products will be made for the sake of public interest. The operation will go on, under which decisive law enforcement action would continue to be taken if any suspected violation is found.