Last Friday (5th), under the yellow rainstorm warning signal, the Customs stopped a barge off Stonecutters Island near Tsing Yi, and seized 42 million sticks of duty-unpaid cigarettes in five containers on board, with a market value of about 115 million yuan. The taxable value of goods is about 80 million yuan.
Customs arrested six men on board, aged between 36 and 69, who said they were the captain, sailor and crane operator.
Customs said the case is still under investigation and more arrests cannot be ruled out.
Wang Zhixin, Acting Senior Inspector of the Maritime Action Team of the Customs, said that on August 5 this year, the Customs found a barge suspected of smuggling activities, and Customs officers took action at about 10 a.m. that day.
Officers stopped a pontoon at Stonecutters Island near Tsing Yi for inspection. At that time, there were 6 Hong Kong crew members on the tugboat and pontoon, claiming that there were 5 containers and they would be transported to the Yau Ma Tei unloading area for unloading.
Customs pointed out that the owner of the ship failed to provide information such as the cargo and documents on board. The officers found that three of the container numbers were invalid, and found a large number of duty-unpaid cigarettes of different brands inside, so the six crew members were arrested.
Customs pointed out that at that time, it was yellow rain and the sea was windy and turbulent, and there was a certain risk for officers to intercept and inspect.
Chen Baotian, the investigation director of the Customs Tax Crime Investigation Division, said that the customs seized 42 million unpaid cigarettes in the five containers, with a market value of about 115 million yuan and a taxable value of about 80 million yuan.
The six arrested men, aged between 36 and 69, include five local men and one Palestinian man, all of whom hold Hong Kong identity cards.
The Customs said that the case is still under investigation, and more arrests cannot be ruled out. The Customs said it will strengthen the crackdown on illicit cigarette activities.
Customs said that so far, a total of 380 million duty-unpaid cigarettes have been seized, with a market value of about 1.04 billion yuan and a taxable value of about 720 million yuan, an increase of 53% over the same period last year.
According to the Customs and Excise Department, smuggling is a serious crime. According to the Import and Export Ordinance, anyone who imports or exports unmanifested goods can be fined up to $2 million and imprisoned for seven years upon conviction.
Under the Dutiable Commodities Ordinance, it is an offence for anyone to handle, possess, sell or buy illicit cigarettes. Upon conviction, the maximum penalty is a fine of $1 million and imprisonment for two years.
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