Customs officers of the Revenue and General Investigation Bureau and Special Task Force have today (May 22) completed a six-day, territory-wide operation designed to curb the peddling activities of illicit cigarettes at 23 black spots.
During the operation codenamed "Cougar 15", 100 Customs officers cracked 78 cases in connection with illicit cigarettes and arrested 64 people, aged between 16 and 71.
The objectives of the operation are to combat the activities involving illicit cigarettes and to arrest people buying, selling or dealing with illicit cigarettes.
More than 740 000 sticks of illicit cigarettes were seized. Total value of the seizures amounted to around $1.1 million and the duty potential was about $600,000.
Of the 56 people arrested for selling illicit cigarettes, 38 were mainlanders holding two-way permits, representing about 68% of the total number of those arrested for selling illicit cigarettes.
The officers smashed nine illicit cigarettes storage centres in Wan Chai, North Point, Shau Kei Wan, Chai Wan, Jordan, Yau Ma Tei, Kowloon City and Sau Mau Ping.
During the raid, they seized 270 000 sticks of illicit cigarettes and the total value amounted to around $420,000 and the duty potential was about $220,000. Among the nine people arrested, there were three Hong Kong men, two Hong Kong women, two Mainland men and two Vietnamese women, aged from 18 to 62. They were subsequently charged with the offence of "Dealing with Goods to which the Dutiable Commodities Ordinance was applied" under the Dutiable Commodities Ordinance.
Customs officers also cracked two cases involving the telephone orders for delivery of illicit cigarettes. They arrested a 56-year-old Hong Kong woman and a 31-year-old Mainland man. They seized 50 000 sticks of illicit cigarettes with an estimated value of $70,000. The duty potential was about $40,000.
The officers also arrested eight buyers of illicit cigarettes. Among them, there were seven Hong Kong man and one Hong Kong woman, aged between 28 and 71.
Customs officers also worked with the Police in mounting a joint operation at the four black spots of illicit cigarettes on Hong Kong Island. They arrested nine people and seized 130 000 sticks of illicit cigarettes.
In order to tackle the problem of the increasing number of Mainland two-way permit holders from engaged in the selling of illicit cigarettes in Hong Kong, Customs liaises with the Mainland authorities through a notification mechanism to inform the Mainland authorities to prohibit the offenders from re-visiting Hong Kong for two years after serving their imprisonment sentence in Hong Kong.
A Customs and Excise Department spokesman said the department would continue to stay vigilant and take rigorous enforcement actions to crack down on illicit cigarettes activities.
Under the Dutiable Commodities Ordinance, any person who is convicted of dealing, possession, selling or buying illicit cigarettes is liable to a maximum penalty of a fine of $1 million and two years' imprisonment and will bear a criminal record for life.
The spokesman appealed to members of the public to call the Customs 24-hour hotline 2545 6182 to report suspected illicit cigarettes activities.
Ends/Saturday, May 22, 2004