Two men arrested in Sha Tin for smuggling illicit cigarettes worth about $1.7m

The police arrested two men at a hotel in Kwai Chung for possessing and smuggling illicit cigarettes valued at approximately HK$1.7 million on Wednesday.

Intelligence led the Kwai Tsing district police to intercept and search a 37-year-old man from the mainland at the hotel on Tuesday (Feb 26).

During the investigation, officers discovered over 480,000 duty-not-paid cigarettes, HK$630,000 in cash, and packaging tools both on his person and in his hotel room.

The market value of the seized cigarettes is estimated at HK$1.7 million, with a taxable value of approximately HK$1.5 million.

The man was arrested on suspicion of possessing and dealing in dutiable goods.

Following this arrest, police detained another individual, a 35-year-old local man in Sha Tin, suspected of possessing and dealing in dutiable goods and believed to have assisted in the smuggling operation.

Both suspects are currently held in police custody.

Police suspect that the operation involved a triad active in the district, which has been operating for about a month. 

They believe that triad members have been smuggling duty-not-paid cigarettes into Hong Kong via air freight, storing them in hotel rooms, and distributing them to clients using private cars.