Hong Kong Customs has busted a cross-border illicit cigarette syndicate following a nine-day operation targeting smuggling through air passengers.
Officers seized about 10.9 million suspected illicit cigarettes worth around HK$49 million, with a duty potential of HK$36 million, and arrested 30 people, including inbound passengers, couriers and warehouse operators. Twelve suspects have been charged.
Customs said smugglers had shifted from sea and land routes to using air passengers to carry smaller quantities of cigarettes into Hong Kong following intensified enforcement.
Under the operation, officers intercepted travellers arriving via circuitous routes through Asia, including Cambodia, Taiwan, Thailand, Malaysia and the Philippines, in an apparent attempt to evade detection.
Between March 4 and 10, the Airport Command detected eight smuggling cases involving passengers, seizing about 240,000 illicit cigarettes worth HK$1.1 million and arresting eight non-local men.
Customs officers also arrested 10 more inbound passengers on Wednesday (March 11), aged between 29 and 63, suspected of carrying undeclared cigarettes.
Investigations found most suspects were non-local travellers whose luggage contained only illicit cigarettes with no personal belongings.
Separately, customs officers raided five storage warehouses in Kwai Fong, Tuen Mun and San Tin, seizing about 10.1 million illicit cigarettes worth HK$46 million and arresting 12 people aged 33 to 66.
