Hong Kong Customs raided two suspected illicit cigarette and alternative smoking product storage centres in San Po Kong (with photo)
******************************************************************************************
Hong Kong Customs shut down two suspected illicit cigarette and alternative smoking product storage centres in San Po Kong yesterday (July 24), seizing a total of about 650 000 suspected illicit cigarettes and about 720 000 suspected alternative smoking products, with a total estimated market value of about $5.2 million. The duty potential of the illicit cigarettes was about $2.15 million. One person involved in the case was arrested.
Customs officers conducted an anti-illicit cigarette operation in San Po Kong yesterday afternoon and intercepted a suspicious man in an industrial building on Luk Hop Street. About 10 000 suspected alternative smoking products were seized from his trolley, and the 20-year-old man, who claimed to be a construction worker, was subsequently arrested. Later, Customs officers escorted the man to two units at the industrial building for a search and further seized about 650 000 suspected illicit cigarettes and about 710 000 suspected alternative smoking products.
After preliminary investigations, Customs believed that the illicit cigarettes and alternative smoking products seized would mainly be used to supply areas in Kowloon East through telephone ordering. The investigation of the case is still ongoing, and the likelihood of further arrests is not ruled out.
Hong Kong Customs has been mounting a territory-wide enforcement operation codenamed “Thunder” since early July to combat illicit cigarette telephone-ordering activities, including illicit cigarette storage centres, black spots and peddling. 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.
Customs stresses that it is an offence to buy or sell illicit cigarettes. 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).