Cantopop singer Hubert Wu fined for bringing banned e-cigarettes into Hong Kong
- Singer pleads guilty after 129 heated tobacco products and vaping devices discovered in luggage and coat, ordered to pay HK$5,000
- Singer who rose to fame through TVB competition said through lawyer he was unaware of local customs laws
Hong Kong Cantopop singer Hubert Wu Hung-kwan has been fined HK$5,000 (US$638) for trying to bring in more than 120 heated tobacco products and vaping devices at the West Kowloon high-speed rail station earlier this year.
Wu, 33, pleaded guilty to contravening the Import and Export Ordinance at Kowloon City Court on Thursday through his legal representative.
The Department of Health noted there had been more than 350 convictions over importing alternative smoking products since a ban came into effect two years ago. The highest penalty was a HK$24,000 fine.
A department spokesman said the government would always take stringent enforcement action to deter illegal activities and warned that heated tobacco products contained amounts of nicotine similar to those of conventional cigarettes.
Wu rose to fame after placing second in singing competition The Voice 2 that aired on TVB in 2010. He has since recorded popular theme songs for TVB drama series.
The court previously heard that Wu was stopped and searched by customs officers at the West Kowloon high-speed rail terminus on January 28, and 129 heated tobacco products and vaping devices were discovered in his luggage and coat.
Hong Kong police make first arrests under law banning sale of e-cigarettes
Wu said he had been helping a friend purchase the products in Guangzhou and claimed to have little knowledge of Hong Kong’s import regulations.
Hong Kong banned heated cigarettes, electronic smoking products and herbal cigarettes on April 30, 2022. If convicted, offenders face a maximum penalty of seven years’ jail and a HK$2 million fine.
In accordance with the Smoking (Public Health) Ordinance, no person may promote, manufacture, sell or possess for commercial purposes alternative smoking products. Offenders are liable to six months in jail and a HK$50,000 fine.
