Mainland traveller jailed over 9,400 illicit cigarettes at airport
HK01 · 2 SOURCESabout 5 hours ago2 MIN
Summary
A mainland Chinese inbound traveller was sentenced at West Kowloon Magistrates' Courts on Friday, 25 September, after Hong Kong Customs said officers found about 9,400 duty-unpaid cigarettes in his personal luggage at Hong Kong International Airport. The 51-year-old man had arrived from Bangkok on 24 September and was convicted of importing dutiable cigarettes without payment and failing to declare them, receiving a three-month jail term and a HK$2,000 fine.
Key Points
- Customs officers intercepted the 51-year-old mainland Chinese male traveller at Hong Kong International Airport after he arrived from Bangkok, Thailand, on 24 September
- Officers found about 9,400 duty-unpaid cigarettes inside his personal baggage, with an estimated market value of about HK$42,300
- The cigarettes carried a dutiable value of about HK$30,000, according to Customs' assessment after the airport seizure
- He was arrested on the spot for importing unmanifested cigarettes and for failing to make a declaration to customs officers under the Dutiable Commodities Ordinance.
- On 25 September, the Mid-Autumn Festival, West Kowloon Magistrates' Courts sentenced him to three months' imprisonment and fined him HK$2,000.
Why It Matters
Customs said it welcomed the sentence, arguing that a custodial term carries considerable deterrent effect and properly reflects the seriousness of illicit cigarette offences. Under the Dutiable Commodities Ordinance, anyone who imports, handles, possesses, sells or buys illicit cigarettes is liable on conviction to a maximum fine of HK$2 million and seven years' imprisonment