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.
After a six-month window from the day the Legislative Council passes the bill, offenders could face a maximum penalty of six months in jail or a fine of HK$50,000. The ban on imports will cover parcels, cargo and articles brought in by incoming travellers, while transshipment and individual use of the three types of product will remain legal.
A customs source said the two suspects were not local, and officers were investigating whether the contraband was for local consumption.
We will closely monitor if syndicates attempt to stockpile related products before the new law comes into effect in August
“We will closely monitor if syndicates attempt to stockpile related products before the new law comes into effect in August,” the source said. “We do not rule out such a smuggling trend.”
Heat-not-burn cigarettes deliver an aerosol containing nicotine and other chemicals via an electronic device that heats up, rather than combusts, a tobacco stick at high temperatures of about 350 degrees Celsius.
They are marketed as trendier and less harmful than traditional cigarettes, but are still deemed to be tobacco products by law.
Health minister Sophia Chan compares e-cigarettes to an epidemic as she defends coming ban
The Customs and Excise Department said that so far this year, nine incoming passengers had been arrested at the airport for bringing in untaxed heat-not-burn cigarettes.
A total of 290,000 illicit heat-not-burn products, with an estimated market value of about HK$800,000 and duty potential of about HK$600,000, were seized.
In 2018, officers seized a total of 8 million heated tobacco products, with 5 million of them seized at control points. The rest were found downtown.
Under the Dutiable Commodities Ordinance, any person who possesses, sells or buys dutiable commodities without a valid licence commits an offence that carries a maximum penalty of imprisonment for two years and a fine of HK$1 million.
