Hong Kong customs seizes HK$2.7 billion of illicit cigarettes as busts jump 36%

Hong Kong authorities recorded a 36 per cent increase in illicit cigarette busts last year, seizing HK$2.7 billion (US$345.4 million) worth of goods, as the customs chief warned of a new tactic of children being used to smuggle tobacco across the border.

At a press conference on Thursday to review its work in 2025, the Customs and Excise Department reported that the number of illicit cigarette cases rose to 29,037 – a 36 per cent increase from 21,283 the previous year – despite higher duties and stiffer penalties against tobacco smuggling.

From these cases, customs arrested 28,580 people. Commissioner of Customs and Excise Chan Tsz-tat said 26,985 of them were passengers fined for carrying more than 19 cigarettes. The number of arrested passengers represented a 41 per cent increase from 2024.

“Passengers have used myriad methods to conceal cigarettes, from wrapping them on their bodies or in their underwear to using wheelchairs and prams. Some parents had even used their children who cross the border for school to smuggle cigarettes,” Chan said, though he did not reveal how many cases involved children.

A source said that when officers arrested children found carrying cigarettes exceeding the duty-free allowance at the border, they had to arrange for social workers to look after the child while contacting family members in Hong Kong or mainland China to handle the case.

Chan added that some syndicates had been hiring people to bring illicit cigarettes into Hong Kong via air travel, aiming to smuggle the contraband in small quantities on passengers rather than large shipments.