Three men jailed over illicit cigarette imports
Bastillepost · 2 SOURCESabout 3 hours ago2 MIN
Summary
Three mainland Chinese men have been sentenced at West Kowloon Magistrates’ Courts after separate airport cases involving duty-not-paid cigarettes, with one case also involving scheduled poison drugs. The custodial terms ranged from four to 10 months, and the fines ranged from HK$1,000 to HK$2,000.
Key Points
- Customs officers intercepted a 28-year-old arriving mainland male traveller at Hong Kong International Airport on August 19 and found 29,000 duty-not-paid cigarettes in his luggage
- He was convicted of possessing duty-not-paid cigarettes and failing to declare them, and was jailed for four months and fined HK$1,000 on August 20
- In a separate June 24 airport case, officers found 41,800 duty-not-paid cigarettes and two injections containing Part 1 poisons in a 24-year-old traveller’s baggage
- That 24-year-old was convicted under the Dutiable Commodities Ordinance and the Pharmacy and Poisons Ordinance, and was jailed six months and fined HK$1,000 on August 21
- A third mainland man aged 60 received the heaviest sentence after Customs found more than 30,000 duty-not-paid cigarettes and 25,000 alternative smoking products in his luggage
Why It Matters
Hong Kong Customs said it welcomed the sentences, arguing that immediate imprisonment carries a strong deterrent effect and properly reflects the seriousness of the offences. The cases also show that airport enforcement is targeting not only untaxed tobacco, but also undeclared alternative smoking products and regulated drugs brought in by arriving travellers.