Hong Kong customs smokes out HK$300 million in illegal cigarettes in first half of 2020, nearly double last year’s total haul
- Sources say a well-oiled syndicate with as many as 100 members are smuggling, storing and selling the illegal cigarettes
- Jobless city residents are being lured to deliver the contraband, being paid up to HK$20 for each carton and earning as much as HK$2,000 a day
Hong Kong customs officials have confiscated nearly HK$300 million (US$39 million) worth of black-market cigarettes so far this year, almost double the amount seized in all of 2019, official figures show.
About two-thirds of the 109 million of cigarettes was seized from a gang believed to be the biggest syndicate behind the illegal tobacco trade in the city, one law enforcement source said.
“Our intelligence indicates this gang, with up to 100 members, has a clear division of labour that includes the import, storage and distribution of illegal cigarettes, as well as street-level retail service,” the source said.
He said jobless Hongkongers were being offered lucrative pay to deliver illicit cigarettes to buyers across the city.
“Each courier is paid up to HK$20 per carton [containing 10 packs of cigarettes] delivered, and they can deliver more than 100 cartons in one public housing estate, earning as much as HK$2,000 a day,” he said, adding it was more than what takeaway food couriers earned.