Customs Busts Three Foil Cigarette Stores in Fo Tan
HK01 · 2 SOURCESabout 2 hours ago2 MIN
Summary
Hong Kong Customs said it dismantled three suspected illicit cigarette storage points inside a single industrial building in Fo Tan after an anti-smuggling operation on October 28. Officers seized about 1.2 million suspected illicit cigarettes and about 700,000 suspected alternative smoking products, with an estimated market value of about HK$8 million and a duty potential of about HK$4 million. Three men aged between 29 and 37 were arrested, and one of them has been charged while the other two remained in custody for investigation as of October 29. Customs said the group appeared to have rented multiple units in the same building to spread risk and reduce losses if one store was detected
Key Points
- Customs officers on October 28 spotted a man leaving a Fo Tan factory building unit carrying a nylon bag and found 8,000 suspected illicit cigarettes inside.
- After arresting him, officers searched the unit he had left and uncovered a further 280,000 suspected illicit cigarettes.
- In the same building, officers intercepted two men leaving another unit; one allegedly tried to flee and resisted before being subdued.
- A search of that second unit found about 600,000 suspected illicit cigarettes and about 340,000 suspected alternative smoking products.
- Evidence found among one arrestee’s personal belongings led officers to a third unit, where they seized about 340,000 suspected illicit cigarettes and about 350,000 alternative smoking products.
Why It Matters
The case points to how illicit tobacco operators may use multiple units within one industrial building to maintain storage and distribution while limiting exposure to enforcement action. Customs also reiterated that handling, possessing, selling or buying illicit cigarettes is illegal under the Dutiable Commodities Ordinance, with a maximum penalty of a HK$2 million fine and seven years’ imprisonment upon conviction