Eight hawkers/dealers have been convicted of possession of goods with false trade descriptions for trade under the Trade Descriptions Ordinance.

The eight offenders, including a man and seven women aged 24 to 49, were sentenced to imprisonment for two to four months, suspended for one to two years with one of them being additionally fined $40,000.

The court heard that the officers of the Customs and Excise Department seized goods including key chains and phone stripes suspected of carrying false trade descriptions in Mong Kok in May 2007 while they were conducting checks on the hawker stalls around Tung Choi Street. The officers also seized similar goods from two commercial premises in To Kwa Wan. The total seizure amounted to 110,000 pieces, valued at about $380,000. Suspecting that the sales activities had contravened the Trade Descriptions Ordinance, Customs officers arrested the people involved.

All seized goods were marked with the description of 18K G.P. (¡§gold-plated¡¨) on the packing. However, according to the examination results of the Government Laboratory, the surface of some goods was found to be electroplated with a thin layer of gold of fineness less than 8 carat. In the remaining samples, gold was not found on the golden surface.

A spokesman for the Customs and Excise Department today (January 23) said that Customs officers would spare no efforts to protect the consumer interest and uphold a fair trading environment. ¡§Customs officers will continue to carry out stringent enforcement actions, such as blitz checks, against activities that are in contravention of the Trade Descriptions Ordinance,¡¨ he said.

Under the Trade Descriptions Ordinance, any person who has in his possession for sale or for any purpose of trade or manufacture any goods to which a false trade description is applied commits an offence. He/she is liable on conviction on indictment to a fine of $500,000 and an imprisonment for five years.

Ends/Wednesday, 23 January, 2008