Following is a question by the Hon Jody Kwok and a written reply by the Secretary for Security, Mr Tang Ping-keung, in the Legislative Council today (April 1):
 
Question:
 
     It has been reported that amid the rising international oil prices and varying fuel duties, illegal mobile refuelling activities in Hong Kong have increased significantly and become more covert in terms of the locations of these activities. According to the information from the Hong Kong Fire Services Department (FSD), 221 complaints about illicit fuelling were received in the first two months of this year, representing an increase of 42 per cent as compared with the monthly average last year, while the number of prosecutions rose by 85 per cent over last year's monthly average. Also, locations of illegal refuelling stations have shifted from remote areas or outdoor car parks to places near the urban areas, where operations are carried out in a more mobile manner. Some operators even make use of modified goods vehicles to provide "on-the-spot" refuelling services on the roadside, posing significant threats to public safety. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
 
(1) of the respective numbers of reports and complaints received by various law enforcement agencies concerning illegal refuelling stations since 2025, the number of inspections conducted, quantity of illegal fuel seized, number of refuelling vehicles confiscated, number of individuals convicted and the corresponding penalties imposed; whether the authorities will consider increasing the corresponding penalties given that the problem of illicit fuelling is becoming more serious;
 
(2) as it has been reported that given the more "fragmented" and "concealed" mode of operations of mobile illegal refuelling stations, such as converting ordinary light goods vehicles into "illegal refuelling vehicles" for conducting mobile transactions, of the effectiveness of the FSD's measures to deploy drones for patrolling so as to strengthen law enforcement efforts; whether the FSD has applied alternative technologies for law enforcement or formulated targeted measures in response to the increasing difficulties in detection of illicit fuelling activities; and
 
(3) as it has been reported that illegal fuel is primarily smuggled into Hong Kong by cross-boundary goods vehicles with modified fuel tanks, of the targeted measures currently put in place by the authorities against such illegal acts, including whether technology, big data, etc have been used to analyse the border-crossing patterns, driving records, fuel transaction records of and other information about suspicious vehicles, and whether studies will be conducted regarding the establishment of a notification mechanism with the law enforcement departments in the Mainland to share cross-boundary data and jointly and precisely intercept fuel smuggling at source?
 
Reply:
 
President,
 
     The Government attaches great importance to combating illicit fuelling activities. In response to the evolving scale and modus operandi of these activities, the Government has adopted a multi-pronged strategy. The strategy includes intelligence-led targeted deployments, the application of innovative technologies, facilitation of public reporting, enhanced inter-departmental and industry collaboration, review of relevant legislation and regulatory frameworks, and close co-operation with mainland law enforcement agencies. These measures aim to curb illicit fuel activities and protect public safety.
 
     Regarding the question from the Hon Jody Kwok, our reply is as follows:
 
(1) The numbers of complaints received by the Fire Services Department (FSD) and the Customs and Excise Department (C&ED) about illicit fuelling activities and relevant enforcement figures are as follows:
 

	FSD		C&ED
	2025	2026 (as at February)	2025	2026 (as at February)
Complaints about illicit fuelling activities (Note 1)	931	221	662 (Note 5)	157 (Note 5)
Inspections and blitz operations (Note 2)	2 067	349	(Note 6)
Quantity of illicit fuel seized (Litres)	538 703	193 217	96 211	16 339
Number of vehicles seized	Not Applicable (Note 3)	Not Applicable (Note 3)	15	12
Number of prosecutions instituted	239	73	14	3
Number of persons convicted (Note 4)	89	9	15	5
Penalties (Note 4)	A fine of $1,000 to $25,000 and an imprisonment of 14 days to one month	A fine of $2,000 to $8,000	A fine of $1,500 to $15,000 and an imprisonment of 14 days to six months	A fine of $3,000 to $15,000 and an imprisonment of seven days to six months

Note 1: The figures include complaints referred by the Hong Kong Police Force (the Police) or other government departments.
Note 2: The FSD and the C&ED conducted 25 and seven joint inspection operations in 2025 and 2026 (as at February) respectively, which are included in the above table. In addition, if intelligence indicates any involvement of other criminal acts, the Police will also participate in the joint operations as necessary.
Note 3: According to existing legislation, the FSD can stop, board, and search vehicles involved in a case at the scene, but does not have the authority to seize the vehicles. The Government is currently actively reviewing the FSD's enforcement powers as detailed below.
Note 4: Cases convicted during the year.
Note 5: Complaints received about illicit fuel activities, including smuggling, dealing with, possession of, and selling or buying illicit fuel, etc.
Note 6: Apart from officers dedicated to handling complaints about illicit fuel activities, frontline officers deployed at various boundary control points also carry out enforcement actions against illicit fuel during their routine inspections. As such, the C&ED does not maintain statistics on the number of inspections and enforcement actions targeting illicit fuel activities.
 
     In view of the increasingly serious risks that illicit fuelling activities pose to public safety, the Government is actively reviewing relevant fire safety legislation with a view to comprehensively strengthening the regulatory regime. The review includes exploring the possibility of increasing penalties for related offenses, enhancing the enforcement powers of the FSD in areas such as arresting individuals and seizing vehicles involved in such activities, as well as examining the legal liability of purchasing illegal fuel, all in an effort to more effectively combat illicit fuelling activities.
 
(2) Based on the aforementioned multi-pronged strategy, the FSD has strengthened its investigation and enforcement efforts in the following four areas to tackle the increasing fragmentation and concealment of illicit fuelling activities:
 
     First, to adopt an intelligence-led enforcement strategy. The FSD systematically integrates and analyses intelligence from various sources, including public complaints and referrals from other departments, suspicious equipment and installations identified during inspections, and past prosecution records, to build a comprehensive picture regarding illicit fuelling activities. By analysing the temporal and spatial patterns of such activities through a data system, the FSD continuously identifies new black spots and shifting trend of operational patterns, thereby enabling targeted deployment of patrols and strategic timed surprise operations to ensure enforcement resources are focused where they are the most effective.
 
     Second, on the basis of intelligence-led operations, the FSD proactively introduces innovative technological equipment to enhance frontline investigation capabilities. The FSD has deployed unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) for routine patrols, particularly in remote and secluded locations, to strengthen surveillance and facilitate the early detection of suspicious activities. Unlike traditional intelligence-gathering methods, the UAS can conduct wide-area aerial surveillance from strategic positions. When suspicious activities are detected, the ground-based anti-illicit fuelling activities task force can be immediately notified for enforcement action. Since their introduction in October 2025, the UAS have conducted 76 missions, successfully assisting in the detection of six cases and the initiation of 20 prosecutions. Aerial surveillance intelligence gathered is also fed back into the aforementioned data analysis system to enrich the intelligence database.
 
     Third, to facilitate public reporting and strengthen community surveillance networks. In October 2025, the FSD launched the Illicit Fuelling Activities on the Fire Hazard Electronic Complaint Portal and a 24-hour "Oil Strike" reporting hotline (5577 9666) to make it convenient for members of the public to report suspected illicit fuelling activities at any time. The platform allows users to submit videos and photos, providing precise information for intelligence analysis and follow-up enforcement. From October 2025 to February 2026, the FSD received 134 pieces of intelligence through these channels, which assisted in identifying 18 new black spots. In the first two months of this year, a total of 221 reports were received, representing a 42 per cent increase over the previous monthly average. This surge in reporting reflects increased public awareness, while the straightforward reporting process also helps translate vigilance into concrete action, providing first-hand leads for intelligence-led enforcement.
 
     Fourth, to promote inter-departmental and industry collaboration to achieve comprehensive and precise enforcement. The FSD has been working closely with the C&ED and the Police, combining the enforcement powers and intelligence resources of different departments to conduct regular joint operations. In addition, in October 2025, the FSD established the Anti-Illicit Fuelling Activities Strategy Group, with membership covering multiple government departments and oil-related businesses. By gathering professional views and intelligence from different stakeholders through the Strategy Group, the FSD can more effectively identify higher-risk black spots for illicit fuelling activities across the territory, enabling precise enforcement.
 
(3) The C&ED has been closely monitoring the smuggling of illicit fuel at various boundary control points. In addition to risk management facilitated by data analytics, the C&ED deploys advanced inspection equipment, such as the Gantry Type X-Ray Vehicle Inspection Systems, Mobile X-Ray Vehicle Scanning Systems, Smart Under Vehicle Robots, etc, to enhance its detection capabilities in combating illicit fuel smuggling. Among these, the Smart Under Vehicle Robots are equipped with an AI-enabled image comparison function, which can scan vehicle licence plates and compare vehicles with their past image records to assist in detecting vehicle modifications, such as additional fuel tanks, as well as dutiable goods or contraband hidden beneath the vehicles.
 
     Besides, the C&ED has maintained close contact and intelligence exchange with the Chinese Mainland law enforcement agencies. Both sides discuss co-operation and exchange intelligence through meetings to combat revenue crimes, and take intelligence-led actions against fuel smuggling and local illicit fuel activities. The most recent meeting was held in February 2026. Since the beginning of 2026, a total of 12 cases involving illicit fuel were detected in joint operations mounted by the C&ED with the FSD and the Police. These joint operations include the territory-wide joint operation of the C&ED with the FSD codenamed "Knockout" from January 5 to 18, 2026 targeting illicit fuel activities, and the joint operation of the FSD with the C&ED and the Police codenamed "Flow Stopper" on February 13, 2026 targeting illicit fuelling activities.

Ends/Wednesday, April 1, 2026
Issued at HKT 14:53

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