A person-in-charge of a logistics company was sentenced to 12 months' imprisonment today (September 30) by the West Kowloon Magistrates' Courts after an earlier conviction of possessing for trade counterfeit face masks, in contravention of the Trade Descriptions Ordinance (TDO).
During an anti-counterfeit operation conducted in February last year in Kwai Chung, Hong Kong Customs mounted a controlled delivery operation and arrested a 38-year-old male person-in-charge of a logistics company for possessing for trade counterfeit medical-grade face masks at a car park in an industrial building in Kwai Chung. The number of counterfeit face masks involved in the case was about 347 000, with an estimated market value of about $8.7 million.
After investigation, Customs officers found that the batch of face masks had not entered the local retail market. It was believed that the arrested man intended to transship the batch of masks overseas via a local logistics company for sale and profit.
Customs welcomes the sentence. The custodial sentence has imposed a considerable deterrent effect and reflects the seriousness of the offence. A clear warning has also been delivered to unscrupulous practitioners in the logistics industry.
Customs reminds practitioners in the logistics industry to comply with the requirements of the TDO and to check with the trademark owners or authorised agents if the authenticity of a product is in doubt.
Under the TDO, any person who sells or possesses for the purpose of trade any goods with a forged trademark commits an offence. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $500,000 and imprisonment for five years.
Members of the public may report any suspected counterfeiting activities to Customs' 24-hour hotline 2545 6182 or its dedicated crime-reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hk).
Ends/Friday, September 30, 2022
