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Customs officers of Lok Ma Chau Control Point this (July 23) afternoon intercepted a passenger, upon his return from the Mainland, and found in his possession of 115 pirated video CDs, worth about $3,000.

The arrested, a 42-year-old man, has been released on bail, pending further enquiries.

In accordance with the Copyright Ordinance, anyone found in possession of pirated articles for trade or commercial purpose is liable to prosecution.

The maximum penalty for the offence is a fine of $50,000 per disc and imprisonment for four years.

"Customs would continue conducting vigorous checks at boundary control points to curb all smuggling activities," said a spokesman for the Customs and Excise Department.

He appealed to members of the public to be patient when going through Customs checks at the boundary as the officers had to check against the illegal importation or exportation of any prohibited goods.

End/Monday, July 23, 2001

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