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Customs officers of Revenue and General Investigation Bureau today (July 10) smashed an illicit cigarette repacking centre in Kowloon Bay. They seized about 0.7 million sticks of illicit cigarettes, valued at $1.12 million with duty potential of $0.56 million.
Customs officers conducted an operation in Kowloon Bay at about 3pm today. They intercepted 2 Chinese males, while they were removing 5 cartons of illicit cigarettes from an industrial flat.
Subsequently, Customs officers raided the industrial flat and seized about 0.7 million sticks of illicit cigarettes found therein. Investigation revealed that the operators would use a hot seal machine to repack the illicit cigarettes into gift boxes for local retail purpose to avoid Customs detection. This modus operandi, using hot seal machine to repack illicit cigarettes, is the first time discovered by the Customs.
Two Hong Kong males, aged around 20, were arrested. They will later be charged with "dealing with goods to which Dutiable Commodities Ordinance was applied" under the Dutiable Commodities Ordinance.
Under the Dutiable Commodities Ordinance, the maximum penalty for dealing with dutiable goods is a fine of $1 million and two years' imprisonment.
Ends/Monday, July 10, 2006
Issued at HKT 20:34
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