Hong Kong contraband operation strikes lucky with seizure of illicit cigarette haul worth HK$86 million
- Customs officers seize 31 million contraband cigarettes as part of a nine-day operation against black market trade
- Law enforcement source says total haul for this year so far could have generated HK$99 million in taxes
Hong Kong customs has arrested a logistics worker and seized HK$86 million (US$11.03 million) worth of contraband cigarettes in a nine-day operation against the black market trade ahead of Lunar New Year.
The haul of 31 million cigarettes brought the number of illicit tobacco products seized this year to 52 million, with a total estimated street value of more than HK$145 million.
A law enforcement source said that if all the cigarettes seized this year had been legally imported, it would have helped to generate HK$99 million in taxes for the government.
Last Saturday, officers seized another 10 million untaxed cigarettes stored at a remote hillside in Yuen Long. In a follow-up raid on the same day, they found another 11 million hidden at a Tsing Yi container yard. No arrests were made during either raid.
On January 7, officers from customs’ revenue crimes investigation bureau also raided a container yard in Fanling, seizing another 10 million illegal cigarettes.
A 69-year-old man, who worked at the yard, was arrested in connection with the seizure. He was released on bail, pending further investigation.
