Mainland traveller jailed over 30,000 cigarettes at airport
On.cc · 3 SOURCESabout 7 hours ago2 MIN
Summary
A 29-year-old mainland Chinese male traveller has been sentenced after arriving in Hong Kong from Tokyo with 30,000 duty-unpaid cigarettes in his personal luggage. The case was heard at West Kowloon Magistrates’ Courts on November 12, when he was jailed for six months and fined HK$1,000 for importing uncustomed cigarettes and failing to declare them to enforcement officers under the Dutiable Commodities Ordinance. Customs said the cigarettes had an estimated market value of about HK$123,000 and a duty potential of about HK$99,000. The man was arrested at Hong Kong International Airport after being stopped by customs officers on September 16.
Key Points
- Customs officers intercepted the 29-year-old man at Hong Kong International Airport on September 16 after he flew in from Tokyo, Japan.
- Officers found 30,000 duty-unpaid cigarettes hidden in the traveller’s personal luggage during the airport inspection.
- The seized cigarettes were worth about HK$123,000, with total dutiable value estimated at about HK$99,000
- At West Kowloon Magistrates’ Courts on November 12, the defendant was sentenced to six months’ imprisonment and fined HK$1,000.
- Under the Dutiable Commodities Ordinance, importing, handling, possessing, selling or buying illicit cigarettes is an offence punishable by up to HK$2 million and seven years in prison.
Why It Matters
The case underlines the legal risk for air passengers who try to bring large quantities of undeclared tobacco into Hong Kong, where tobacco products are dutiable goods under local law. The six-month jail term, which customs described as carrying considerable deterrent effect, shows the courts are prepared to impose custodial sentences in serious cigarette smuggling cases