HK$180,000 of heat-not-burn cigarettes seized by Hong Kong customs ahead of ban, prompting concerns of stockpiling by smugglers
- Source says Customs is monitoring whether syndicates are stocking up on alternative smoking products before new law takes effect
Hong Kong customs officers have seized a total of HK$180,000 (US$23,000) worth of illicit heat-not-burn cigarettes from arriving passengers over a two-day period, prompting law enforcers to closely monitor if smugglers are stockpiling new tobacco products before a proposed ban takes effect.
The latest arrest saw a 38-year-old man carrying 26,000 illicit heat-not-burn products with an estimated market value of about HK$70,000 in two suitcases on Wednesday.
The suspect arrived in Hong Kong from Osaka, Japan, and was arrested during customs clearance at Hong Kong International Airport. The haul would have cost the government HK$50,000 in tax.
On Tuesday, 38,000 contraband heat-not-burn cigarettes were found concealed in a suitcase carried by a man, 56, arriving from Tokyo. The products had an estimated market value of about HK$110,000 and a duty potential of about HK$70,000.
Hong Kong pushes ahead with blanket ban on e-cigarettes
The government announced last week that it planned to amend the Smoking Ordinance to ban any import, sale and promotion of new smoking products, including e-cigarettes, heat-not-burn products and herbal cigarettes.