Advertisement
Hong Kong customs officials seize black market cigarettes worth HK$62 million from cargo ship
- Customs official says illicit cigarettes hidden in containers among crates of dried tapioca from Cambodia
- Cigarettes found after containers X-rayed by officials; arrests not ruled out as investigation continues
Reading Time:1 minute
Why you can trust SCMP
0
Hong Kong customs officers on Friday said they had seized HK$62 million (US$7.9 million) worth of smuggled cigarettes from a ship that claimed to be transporting dried tapioca from Cambodia.
Acting senior investigator Chiu Kai-wing of the Customs and Excise Department said suspicions about the cargo were aroused after discrepancies were found in the shipping documents and containers on board the vessel that were checked on Tuesday.
Chiu explained tapioca was usually imported from Thailand or Vietnam and it was “rare” to see it coming from Cambodia.
The ship’s containers were X-rayed and customs officials found up to 17 million cigarettes destined for the black market concealed among 2,200 packages in two containers.
Chiu said some boxes loaded with dried and chopped tapioca were put near the door to hide others loaded with illicit cigarettes concealed in the middle of the containers.
Advertisement