Today (March 7), Hong Kong customs officers seized more than 6 million illicit cigarettes and heated tobacco products worth more than HK$29 million ($3.8 million) in two separate operations.
In one operation, two men were arrested with 6 million cigarettes that are relatively unpopular in the area, stored in a truck and warehouse.
“It is believed that the products would later be exported to other countries,” said Chan Sing-lung, a senior investigator of Customs’ Revenue Crimes Investigation Bureau. “But we do not rule out the possibility that some might get into the local illicit cigarette market for sale.”
Earlier in the morning, a mainland man was arrested with 90,000 illegal cigarettes and 110,000 illicit heated tobacco products. Another 140,000 duty-not-paid cigarettes from Japan and alternative smoking products were found in his hotel room, together with a large number of empty bags for Japanese duty-free goods.
Officials said the contraband was part of a larger smuggling operation from Japan.
“Our investigation shows the group took advantage of air passengers to bring illicit tobacco products into the city, store them in hotel rooms and then distribute them to customers,” said Wong Wing-yuen, a senior investigator of the Customs and Excise Department.
In the past half month, 13 men and eight women were arrested, mostly mainland tourists traveling from Japan. They were involved in 20 cases of 600,000 untaxed cigarettes and 240,000 alternative tobacco products, with a total market value of HK$4 million ($520,000).
