Inbound traveler founded guilty and imprisoned for belongings of duty-not-paid cigarettes and stogies (with pictures)
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An inbound female guest was sentenced to 7 weeks’ jail time and fined $4,000 at the Fanling Magistrates’ Courts today (August 19) for being associated with 2 cases of having duty-not-paid cigarettes and stogies and stopping working to state them to Customs officers, in conflict of the Dutiable Commodities Ordinance (DCO).
Customs officers obstructed an inbound female traveler, aged 51, at the Lo Wu Control Point on May 27. An overall of 5 601 sticks of duty-not-paid cigarettes were taken from her individual luggage, with an approximated market price of about $22,000 and a responsibility capacity of about $18,000. She was consequently detained.
On July 27, Customs officers obstructed the very same inbound female traveler at the Lok Ma Chau Spur Line Control Point. An overall of 7 420 sticks of duty-not-paid cigarettes and 75 grams of duty-not-paid stogies, with an approximated market price of about $30,850 and a task capacity of about $24,800, were taken from her individual luggage. The lady was once again apprehended.
Customizeds invites the sentence. The custodial sentence has actually enforced a substantial deterrent impact and shows the severity of the offenses. Customizeds advises members of the general public that under the DCO, tobacco items are dutiable items to which the DCO uses. Anybody who handles, has, offers or purchases illegal cigarettes devotes an offense. The optimum charge upon conviction is a fine of $1 million and jail time for 2 years.
Members of the general public might report any believed illegal cigarette activities to Customs’ 24-hour hotline 182 8080 or its devoted crime-reporting e-mail account (crimereport@customs.gov.hk) or online kind (eform.cefs.gov.hk/ form/ced002).