Customs officers have dismantled a transnational syndicate that used air passengers to smuggle illicit cigarettes into Hong Kong, seizing about 1.5 million untaxed cigarettes worth HK$6.75 million and arresting six non-local men.
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Officers from the revenue crimes investigation bureau conducted an anti-illicit cigarette operation in Tuen Mun on Tuesday, raiding three storage and distribution warehouses in an industrial building. The seized cigarettes have a duty value of about HK$5 million.
The six arrested men include three incoming passengers who transported the cigarettes and three warehouse operators. Customs said the passengers' suitcases were filled entirely with cigarettes, containing no personal belongings. Some admitted receiving payment for smuggling.
The illicit cigarettes originated from Southeast Asia and included about ten brands not commonly seen in Hong Kong. Customs believes the syndicate intended to repackage the cigarettes for export to countries with much higher tobacco duties than Hong Kong, though some may also supply the local market.
Customs noted that syndicates have shifted from using sea or land routes to using air passengers in an "ant-moving-home" approach to spread risk, following a series of successful operations that disrupted traditional smuggling methods.
