Hong Kong customs arrests 6, seizes illicit cigarettes worth HK$114 million
Officers make arrests after intercepting two vessels in early hours of New Year’s Eve as part of anti-smuggling patrols in local waters
Hong Kong authorities have arrested six mainland Chinese men and seized HK$114 million (US$14.7 million) worth of suspected illicit cigarettes in two large-scale smuggling cases.
The Customs and Excise Department said on Wednesday that about 25 million suspected illicit cigarettes with a potential duty of HK$84 million had been confiscated.
“In the early hours of December 31, customs officers conducted anti-smuggling patrols in the southwestern waters of Hong Kong, specifically in the waters off Cyberport and Sai Wan,” said Matthew Shum, acting senior investigator at the department’s revenue investigation division.
“Six mainland Chinese seamen, aged between 35 and 41, were arrested. The investigation of the two cases is ongoing. We will look into the source of the suspected illicit cigarettes and will not rule out further arrests.”
Shum added that criminal syndicates were attempting to stockpile a large amount of illicit cigarettes to supply the local market as the Lunar New Year approached.
Senior Inspector Tang Ka-chun of the department’s marine enforcement division said officers intercepted the two fishing vessels manned by the six men and asked them if they had anything to declare.
