Customs seize suspected illicit cigarettes worth HK$82m in Tuen Mun and Chai Wan

Customs stepped up their operations against illicit cigarettes before Christmas and busted one smuggling case along with one illegal cigarette storage in Tuen Mun and Chai Wan, respectively.

Late November, customs intercepted a ship at Tuen Mun Public Cargo Working Area and found 9 million suspected illicit cigarettes with an estimated market value of approximately HK$33 million.

A 21-year-old man was arrested on the spot.

Customs continued their investigation after receiving more intelligence and discovered that an illicit cigarette syndicate was using industrial units to store large amounts of illicit cigarettes, distributing them in the evening or late-night hours.

On Thursday (Dec 21), a 46-year-old man was arrested in Lam Tin at midnight, and customs seized over 220,000 suspected illicit cigaretes at the site.

He was taken to an industrial unit on Fung Yip Street, in Chai Wan, and seized an additional 13 million suspected illicit cigarettes.

A total of suspected illicit cigarettes with an estimated market value of approximately HK$49 million were seized.

So far this year, Customs has seized a total of 650 million illicit cigarettes, with an estimated market value of approximately HK$2.25 billion and a total taxable value of approximately HK$1.54 billion.

A customs spokesman stated that they will continue to crack down on smuggled cigarettes during the peak logistics season.