Hong Kong customs officers seize illegal smoking products worth millions of dollars at three control points
- Heat-not-burn cigarettes, e-cigarettes and tobacco products confiscated
- Contraband found in two weeks after ban comes into effect
Hong Kong customs officers have confiscated more than HK$10 million (US$1.2 million) worth of e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products at three of the city’s control points after a ban on alternative smoking items came into effect in April.
Assistant Superintendent Lie Yan-ning of customs’ air cargo search unit said on Tuesday that most of the illicit cigarettes were found hidden in nine parcels at the cargo terminal of Hong Kong International Airport and one consignment at Shenzhen Bay control point.
“In the 10 cases, there were 350,000 e-cigarettes and heat-not-burn cigarettes. It has an estimated street value of HK$10 million,” he said.
An initial investigation suggested different syndicates were behind the shipments of the illegal smoking products, he said.
The nine parcels were airmailed into the city from various countries including Japan and the United Arab Emirates.
At the Shenzhen Bay control point, customs officers arrested a truck driver after seizing illegal smoking products from his vehicle which arrived from mainland China. A law enforcement source said the contraband was intended for the local market and they were still investigating its origins.
The 10 cases were detected in the first two weeks after the new ban under the Smoking (Public Health) (Amendment) Ordinance went into force at the end of April.