Customs officers of Revenue and General Investigation Bureau yesterday (March 3) smashed two illicit cigarette storage centres and distribution centres in Kowloon City and Tai Kok Tsui respectively.
They seized about 900,000 sticks of illicit cigarettes, valued at $1,360,000 and with duty potential of $720,000.
"We believe that Customs officers have eradicated two illicit cigarette storage centres and distribution centres. The distribution centres were suspected of supplying peddlers in Kowloon City, Sham Shui Po, Mong Kok and East Kowloon with illicit cigarettes," a spokesman for the Customs and Excise Department said today (March 4).
About 6am yesterday, Customs officers intercepted a 29-year-old woman and seized 1,600 sticks of illicit cigarettes during an anti-illicit cigarette operation. Subsequently, Customs officers conducted a premises search, leading to the seizure of 88,000 sticks of illicit cigarettes and the arrest of a 23-year-old man.
Later on the same day in another operation, Customs officers conducted surveillance on a woman suspected to be engaged in illicit cigarette activities. About 6pm, officers spotted the woman, together with another man, conveying five carton boxes of illicit-cigarettes from a factory building at Elm Street, Tai Kok Tsui onto a light goods vehicle parked outside. At that juncture, officers ambushing nearby dashed forward and arrested the 31-year-old woman and the 34-year-old man. As a result, 47,600 sticks of illicit cigarettes on board the light goods vehicle were seized.
In follow-up investigations, Customs officers smashed a storage centre in the factory building, seizing 760,000 sticks of illicit cigarettes of assorted brands.
The Customs spokesman stressed that the department would continue to take stringent enforcement actions to crack down on illicit cigarette activities.
Under the Dutiable Commodities Ordinance, the maximum penalty for dealing with dutiable goods is a fine of $1 million and two years' imprisonment.
Ends/Saturday, March 4, 2006