Burst
Written by: Chen Haoran Lin Zhenhua
2019-11-21 19:45
Last updated date: 2019-11-21 19:45Customs officers found 11.4 million suspected smuggled cigarettes in a tin-roofed house in Tai Po, Tai Po, today (21). The Customs and Excise Department cracked the largest smuggling of cigarettes in the past three years, involving a taxable value of about 21 million. Yuan, smuggled cigarettes with a market value of about 31 million yuan and arrested three men.
The first group commander of the Customs and Excise Department's smuggling investigation, Mr Chan Kai-wai, said that at 10 am this morning, officers of the Customs and Excise Department intercepted a suspicious man outside a Tin Shek Estate outside Tai Wan Estate outside Tai Wan Estate outside Tai Po Estate. Inside the search, a large number of suspected unpaid cigarettes and two other suspected men were found inside the estate. After preliminary investigations, the officers believed that the three were a cross-border smuggling syndicate. They smuggled illicit cigarettes outside Hong Kong by legal means and then smuggled them back to Hong Kong for illegal sale to earn the highest difference. The three men were arrested from 28 to 49 years old. Two of them were holding local identity cards. The other one was a mainlander. The three were believed to be the backbone members of the smuggling syndicate. The Customs and Excise Department believed that the above-mentioned cross-border smuggling syndicate had been smashed. Most of the unpaid cigarettes seized were "Red Double Skull".
Customs refers to smuggling as a serious crime. Any person who imports or exports unmanifested cargo under the Import and Export Ordinance is liable on conviction to a maximum fine of $2 million and imprisonment for seven years. It is an offence for any person to handle, possess, deal with, sell or purchase dutiable tobacco under the Dutiable Commodities Ordinance. Upon conviction, the maximum penalty is a fine of $1 million and imprisonment for 2 years. In addition, under the Dutiable Commodities Ordinance, it is an offence for any person to handle, possess, sell or purchase illicit cigarettes. Upon conviction, the maximum penalty is a fine of $1 million and imprisonment for two years. Members of the public can call the Customs 24-hour hotline 2545 6182 or report suspected illicit cigarette activities through the crime-specific email account (rimereport@customs.gov.hk).
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Smuggling illicit customs
