​Hong Kong Customs yesterday (January 9) seized about 310 000 suspected illicit cigarettes, with an estimated market value of about $1.5 million and a duty potential of about $1.03 million, at the Inbound Cargo Examination Building of the Heung Yuen Wai Boundary Control Point.
Through risk assessment, Customs officers inspected a container truck declared as carrying cross border e-commerce goods and household goods arriving in Hong Kong from Dongguan, Guangdong. After the inspection, Customs officers found the batch of suspected illicit cigarettes concealed inside toy packaging boxes in the container.
The investigation is ongoing.
Customs will continue its risk assessment and intelligence analysis for interception at source as well as through its multipronged enforcement strategy targeting storage, distribution and peddling to spare no effort in combating illicit cigarette activities.
Smuggling is a serious offence. Under the Import and Export Ordinance, any person found guilty of importing or exporting unmanifested cargo is liable to a maximum fine of $2 million and imprisonment for seven years upon conviction.
Under the Dutiable Commodities Ordinance, anyone involved in dealing with, possession of, selling or buying illicit cigarettes commits an offence. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $1 million and imprisonment for two 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).
Follow this news feed: East Asia