Three incoming male passengers were sentenced to three to seven months' imprisonment and fined between $1,000 and $2,000 at the West Kowloon Magistrates' Courts yesterday (July 30) and today (July 31) for importing or possessing duty-not-paid cigarettes and failing to declare them to Customs officers, as well as for importing alternative smoking products, in contravention of the Dutiable Commodities Ordinance (DCO) and the Import and Export Ordinance (IEO).
      
     Customs officers intercepted the three incoming male passengers, aged between 30 and 46, at Hong Kong International Airport on May 19 and July 23. A total of about 80 000 duty-not-paid cigarettes and about 24 000 alternative smoking products, with an estimated market value of about $425,000 and a duty potential of about $264,000, were seized from their personal baggage. They were subsequently arrested.
      
     Customs welcomes the sentence. The custodial sentence has imposed a considerable deterrent effect and reflects the seriousness of the offences.
      
     Under the DCO, tobacco products are dutiable goods to which the DCO applies. Any person who imports, deals with, possesses, sells or buys illicit cigarettes commits an offence. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $1 million and imprisonment for two years.
      
     Under the IEO, any person who imports an alternative smoking product into Hong Kong commits an offence. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $2 million and imprisonment for seven years.
      
     Members of the public may report any suspected illicit cigarette activities to Customs' 24-hour hotline 182 8080 or its dedicated crime-reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hk) or online form (eform.cefs.gov.hk/form/ced002).

Ends/Thursday, July 31, 2025
Issued at HKT 19:22

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