Customs officers of Revenue and General Investigation Bureau yesterday (August 1) cracked three illicit cigarettes cases, seizing 43,240 sticks of illicit cigarettes, valued at a total of $64,000 and with duty potential of $34,000.
In one of the cases, Customs officers seized 24,000 sticks of illicit cigarettes, worth about $36,000 and with duty potential of $19,000, under a stove of a grocery store-cum-apartment in Sham Shui Po.
A 41-year-old female store owner and a 59-year-old male customer were arrested.
This was the first time Customs officers found offenders using the stove as illicit cigarette storage place.
To evade Customs investigation, the grocery store displayed duty paid cigarettes and groceries for sale while hiding illicit cigarettes under a stove in the apartment connected to the store.
Separately, Customs officers smashed an illicit cigarette storage centre in Ngau Tau Kok and a distribution centre in Tsing Yi. They seized 19,240 sticks of illicit cigarettes, valued at $28,000 and with duty potential of $15,000.
Two men and a woman, aged between 50 and 66, were arrested.
A spokesman for Customs and Excise Department stressed that the department would continue to take stringent enforcement actions to crack down on illicit cigarette activities.
In the first half of 2007, the Department cracked 459 illicit cigarette cases, leading to the arrest of 256 persons. They seized about 5.51 million sticks of illicit cigarettes, valued at $8.26 million and with duty potential of $4.43 million.
In 2006, Customs cracked 1,427 illicit cigarette cases, arresting 766 persons. A total of 10.72 million sticks of illicit cigarettes, valued at $16.97 million and with duty potential of $8.62 million, were seized.
Under the Dutiable Commodities Ordinance, the maximum penalty for dealing with dutiable goods is a fine of $1 million and imprisonment for two years.
Ends/Thursday, August 2, 2007
