Man, 63, arrested by Customs in HK$17m illicit cigarette bust

Customs seized some 3.8 million illicit cigarettes worth about HK$17 million from a metal hut in Sheung Shui and arrested a 63-year-old man.

A Customs spokesman said that during a regular patrol on Monday, officers inspected a truck carrying a 40-foot container parked inside the metal hut at Kong Nga Po of Sheung Shui.

Officers first found ceramic products inside cardboard boxes placed near the door of the container, while the batch of illicit cigarettes was found deep inside the container.

The smuggled cigarettes are said to be with a duty potential of about HK$12.5 million. 

A 63-year-old man inside the metal hut was arrested, and further arrests cannot be ruled out as the investigation continues, said Customs.
 

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