On Wednesday (November 12), Hong Kong Customs raided a suspected illicit cigarette storage center in Kwai Chung, seizing approximately 240,000 cigarettes with an estimated market value of HK$1.1 million ($140,000) and potential duties of HK$790,000 ($103,000). Customs investigation revealed that the syndicate used hotel rooms as temporary storage, employing an “ant-moving-home” distribution method to evade detection. During the raid, officers intercepted 80,000 cigarettes from four men and later seized an additional 160,000 cigarettes from a hotel room, arresting a fifth individual. The suspects have been charged under the Dutiable Commodities Ordinance and are scheduled to appear at West Kowloon Magistrates’ Courts.
