HONG KONG: Hong Kong Customs concluded a one-week territory-wide special operation mainly targeting illicit cigarette activities on public housing estates. A total of about 480,000 sticks of suspected illicit cigarettes valued at about $1.3 million with a duty potential of about $920,000 were seized.
In total, 10 suspected peddling cases at public housing estates were effected with about 20 000 sticks of suspected illicit cigarettes seized. Two suspected storage points with about 430 000 sticks of suspected illicit cigarettes were also smashed while a vehicle with about 30 000 sticks of suspected illicit cigarettes was detained.
A total of 12 men and two women aged from 14 to 84 were arrested during the operation.
In the first 10 months of this year, Customs detected 184 peddling cases involving the seizure of about 360 000 sticks of illicit cigarettes on public housing estates.
Under the Dutiable Commodities Ordinance, anyone involved in dealing with, possession of, selling or buying illicit cigarettes commits an offence. The maximum penalty is a fine of $1 million and imprisonment for two years.
