Hong Kong police arrest 2, confiscate HK$4.3 million worth of illegal cigarettes in raid on industrial flat
- Two men, aged 35 and 38, were detained on suspicion of possessing illicit cigarettes
- Contraband would have generated HK$2.8 million in tax if it was legally imported, according to force
Hong Kong police arrested two men and confiscated HK$4.3 million (US$548,607) worth of black-market cigarettes in a raid on an industrial flat on Wednesday.
According to the force, an investigation between the Kowloon West regional intelligence unit and Sham Shui Po anti-triad squad led officers to discover the flat in a Tsuen Wan industrial building used as a storage site for the contraband cigarettes.
“During the operation, officers seized 148 boxes carrying 1.48 million untaxed cigarettes. The haul has an estimated street value of HK$4.3 million,” police said in a statement.
The items would have generated HK$2.8 million in tax if they were legally imported, according to the force.
Two men, aged 35 and 38, were detained on suspicion of possessing illicit cigarettes.
Dealing with and possessing illicit cigarettes in Hong Kong is punishable by up to two years in jail and a HK$1 million fine under the Dutiable Commodities Ordinance.
