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.
Tag: Hong Kong
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Hong Kong Bill Bans Vapes, Heated Products, Flavored Cigarettes
Hong Kong’s Legislative Council approved sweeping new tobacco control measures aimed at further cutting smoking rates in the city. The Tobacco Control Legislation (Amendment) Bill 2025, passed today (September 11) with 74 votes in favor (versus one against and seven abstentions) bans possession of e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products, extends non-smoking areas, prohibits sales to minors, and outlaws flavored cigarettes except menthol.
Lawmakers largely supported the bill, with several highlighting the need to shield young people from targeted marketing of flavored products. Hong Kong’s smoking rate currently stands at 9.1%, as officials hope to eventually bring it below 5%.
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Smoking Bill Amendments Cleared, Debate Looming in Hong Kong
Hong Kong’s Legislative Council President Andrew Leung Kwan-yuen ruled that all three sets of amendments proposed by the Liberal Party to the government’s smoking control bill comply with procedural rules, paving the way for debate when the second reading resumes on September 10. The amendments, led by Liberal Party chairman and retail sector lawmaker Peter Shiu Ka-fai, seek to scrap the planned flavored cigarette ban, delay measures such as plain packaging through an “affirmative vetting” process, and broaden exemptions for additives used in cigarette manufacturing. While the government argued the changes would dilute its policy intent, Leung said the proposals do not breach the Rules of Procedure.
Passage of the amendments will require majority support in both functional and geographical constituencies under LegCo’s dual voting system.
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Hong Kong Tobacco Inspectors to Wear Body Cameras
Hong Kong’s Tobacco and Alcohol Control Office will equip inspectors with body cameras starting today (August 20) as they enforce the city’s smoking ban. The move comes after fixed penalty notices for smoking offences rose nearly 31% last year, with 13,488 citations. New enforcement measures, including plain-clothes officers and extended surveillance, have been credited with the increase in penalties.
The Department of Health said cameras will document enforcement activities and conflicts, with individuals notified before recording. Footage without evidential value will be deleted after 31 days.
Lawmakers are also reviewing broader anti-smoking proposals, including expanded non-smoking zones near entrances to schools, hospitals, and elderly homes, a ban on public use of alternative smoking products from April 2026, and restrictions on flavored tobacco sales from mid-2027.
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Hong Kong Customs Being Overwhelmed by Smuggled Cigarettes
Hong Kong Customs reported a sharp rise in cigarette smuggling this year, seizing 200 million illicit cigarettes worth HK$1 billion ($130 million) in the first five months, a fourfold increase from the same period in 2024.
Customs Commissioner Chan Tsz-tat attributed the surge to well-organized smuggling networks exploiting cross-border travel. Last year saw about 19,000 smuggling cases by travelers; this number is expected to surpass 30,000 in 2025.
To combat the problem, customs plans to intensify efforts to dismantle the entire smuggling supply chain—from transportation to retail—and increase awareness campaigns at key border crossings. Under Hong Kong law, travelers are allowed to bring in only 19 cigarettes duty-free per person.
In addition, the agency faces a significant backlog in disposing of seized narcotics, with over 100 tons in storage. Current destruction processes could take up to 35 years, prompting authorities to explore faster methods, including streamlined procedures and a dedicated armed escort team.
Hong Kong Customs is also collaborating with mainland e-commerce platforms like Taobao and Pinduoduo to block sales and shipments of banned goods, although differing laws between Hong Kong and mainland China present ongoing challenges.
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Hong Kong to Ban Vapes, Crack Down on All Tobacco
Hong Kong is seeking to ban the possession of e-cigarettes and other alternative smoking products in public by the end of April next year, along with other proposed measures to curb smoking in the city. Authorities are proposing to raise the fixed fine for smoking violations from HK$1,500 to HK$3,000 ($195 to $390). The statutory no-smoking areas would also be expanded. These measures were published in the Tobacco Control Legislation (Amendment) Bill 2025 last week.
The bill, scheduled to be tabled at the Legislative Council April 30, covers eight smoking control measures that require legislative amendments.
The bill also suggests authorizing the Secretary for Health to expand no-smoking areas based on the conditions of different districts, as well as to establish exemptions. Hong Kong residents will be barred from smoking while queuing for public transport or outside places with high foot traffic, such as sports venues and health centers.
The sale of flavored traditional smoking products is banned under the proposed law, with the city’s authorities saying that tobacco companies have used flavorings to “disguise the toxicity” of the products and “entice young people to smoke.” The government plans to impose the ban in phases, with the first phase targeting products with specified additives, excluding menthol. A full implementation is expected to take place in the second quarter of 2027. Violators face a maximum fine of HK$50,000 ($6,500) and six months behind bars.
In a move to crack down on illicit cigarettes, the government is proposing to require importers and local producers to ensure there is a label attached to every pack of taxed cigarettes sold. Selling or supplying any cigarettes that have no label on their packaging is prohibited.
The bill also includes a prohibition on providing smoking products to individuals under 18, which is set to take effect on January 1 next year. Those who provide traditional smoking products to minors will face a fine of HK$3,000 for small quantities, while the maximum fine for larger quantities will be HK$25,000 ($3,250). Penalties for supplying alternative smoking products to underage individuals are higher, with a fine of up to HK$50,000 and six months’ imprisonment.
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Sources: Big Changes for Hong Kong Tobacco Laws in 2026
Last year, Hong Kong’s Special Administrative Region government proposed 10 tobacco control measures that prompted backlash from businesses and smokers alike. Now, sources say the Health Bureau plans to submit an amendment bill to the Legislative Council by the end of this month based on those measures, which would include items such as increased penalties for illegal tobacco sales, a ban on flavored cigarettes, and expanded smoke-free areas.
The sources said the regulations would be implemented in 2026, typically in two phases.
E-cigarettes would be banned in public spaces starting as early as the second quarter of next year, with potential extensions to private areas and other devices depending on favorable outcomes. The ban on flavored cigarettes would begin with non-menthol flavors first, and then menthol later, with no specific timeline set.
The new proposal would also focus on combating illegal tobacco, with a trial starting mid-year to add identification labels on duty-paid cigarettes. Authorities would also increase penalties for smuggling; the maximum fine for buying, selling, or possessing illegal cigarettes will rise from HK$1 million ($130,000) and two years in prison to HK$2 million ($260,000) and seven years in prison. Travelers bringing more than 19 packs of duty-free cigarettes to Hong Kong would see fines increased from HK$5,000 ($650) to over HK$8,000 ($1,040).
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Hong Kong Officials Seize $3.8M in Illicit Products
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).
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Hong Kong Sees Surge in Visitors Carrying Illicit Cigarettes
Cigarette smuggling occurrences in Hong Kong surged 80% last year, accounting for 68% of the total number of cases handled by Hong Kong Customs, officials said. At a news conference today, the Customs and Excise Department said more than 21,000 of the 31,000 total cases they handled in 2024 involved illicit cigarettes.
Chan Tsz-tat, who became the city’s Commissioner of Customs and Excise in December, attributed the surge in cigarette smuggling cases to a 94% increase of inbound travelers found with cigarettes that exceeded the 19-stick duty-free limit. Chan said the underlying reason for the increase is that Hong Kong increased the tobacco duty from HK$1.9 (24 US cents) to HK$3.3 per cigarette over the past two years.
Customs seized about 600 million sticks of illicit cigarettes, which is actually a decrease of 6% compared with the previous year as smuggling syndicates are lowering the number of cigarettes being smuggled at one time and diversifying smuggling channels to minimize losses. Customs officials made 40 large-scale cigarette confiscations, during which it seized 328 million cigarettes.
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Hong Kong: Bill Would Strengthen Tobacco Control, Hurt Pubs
Hong Kong Secretary for Health Lo Chung-mau said an amendment bill to strengthen tobacco control will be submitted to the Legislative Council in April that would impact virtually every product, all on different timelines. He said a potential ban on flavored non-menthol-flavored cigarettes could begin as early as next year, with menthol-favored-cigarettes then following, but with no specific timeline given.
“Menthol cigarettes have a longer history, which is why we hope the policy can be implemented gradually,” Lo said, pointing out that 40% of smokers use flavored cigarettes and of those more than 50% use menthol. “We want to start with non-menthol as a pilot.
“We’ve seen significant opposition [about the flavor ban], especially from tobacco companies, which shows that this hits their core interests.”
The bill would extend the flavor ban to water pipes and also include increased penalties for illegal tobacco, updated rules cigarette labeling rules, and new rules for travelers with tobacco. Lo also said that e-cigarettes, which have been banned from import and sale since 2022 but can still be owned, may be facing a complete ban by mid-2026.
The Long Term Tobacco Policy Concern Group polled 514 customers at popular nightlife districts in Hong Kong recently and found that 80% of bar-goers would have less desire to frequent pubs if a flavor ban was put in place, and that 70% would consider patronizing establishments on the mainland instead. Pub operators predicted a 30% loss of patrons if the government proposal was approved.
“This is pulling out the last straw in such a terrible situation,” said Ben Leung Lap-yan, charter president of the Licensed Bar and Club Association of Hong Kong, which represents more than half of the city’s 1,300 licensed venues. “Should so many measures be put forward in the current poor economic environment in such a tough and aggressive way?”