Following is a question by the Hon Cheung Pui-kong and a reply by the Acting Secretary for Health, Dr Cecilia Fan, in the Legislative Council today (May 20):

Question:

     Recently, some members of the public have complained that the issue of distributing leaflets on duty-not-paid cigarettes, commonly known as "dim sum sheets", has become increasingly rampant. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(1) as the Government has indicated that the Tobacco and Alcohol Control Office of the Department of Health, the Police, the Customs and Excise Department and the Housing Department have established a co-operation mechanism to combat the illegal act of distributing smoking product advertisements in public housing estates, whether the Government has assessed if the mechanism is functioning effectively; if the mechanism is effective, whether the Government has looked into why the issue of distributing "dim sum sheets" remains rampant;

(2) given that the distribution of smoking product advertisements may contravene the provisions under the Smoking (Public Health) Ordinance (Cap. 371) which stipulate that no person shall display or cause to be displayed in any form any smoking product advertisement, of the status and effectiveness in enforcing such provisions; and

(3) as the Legislative Council passed the Tobacco Control Legislation (Amendment) Ordinance 2025 in September last year to put into implementation 10 short-term tobacco control measures, how the Administration assesses the effectiveness of such measures in tackling the issue of distributing "dim sum sheets"?

Reply:

President,

     The consolidated reply, in consultation with the Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau, the Hong Kong Customs and Excise Department (C&ED), the Housing Department (HD), and the Department of Health (DH), on the question raised by the Hon Cheung Pui-kong is as follows:

     Tobacco products are dutiable goods and are regulated by the Dutiable Commodities Ordinance. However, illegal activities involving the sale of illicit cigarettes exist in Hong Kong. In addition to eroding government revenue, the operations of illicit cigarette syndicates are often accompanied by other criminal activities. The flyers advertising illicit cigarettes, commonly known as "dim sum sheets", are a part of the broader problem of illicit cigarettes, and the crux of the issue lies in the supply and distribution networks behind. In an enforcement operation conducted last week, the C&ED uncovered a suspected money laundering case involving the handling of proceeds from the sale of illicit cigarettes. This clearly demonstrates that illicit cigarette activities may not merely be isolated street-level offences, but could involve an illegal industrial chain closely linked to other serious crimes.

     The Government has always attached great importance to combating illicit cigarettes, not only to safeguard government revenue but also because of its significance in terms of public health and public safety. Among others, stepping up actions against illicit cigarettes was accorded the highest priority by the Government in the Tobacco Control Legislation (Amendment) Ordinance 2025 ( Amendment Ordinance) passed by the Legislative Council in September last year. 

     Through the Amendment Ordinance, the Government has also listed the relevant offences under the Schedule to the Organized and Serious Crimes Ordinance (Cap. 455), enabling the C&ED to freeze and confiscate illicit proceeds of crime and assets associated with illicit cigarette activities, thereby striking at the financial networks of illicit cigarette syndicates directly at their economic roots. In conjunction with the various measures under the Amendment Ordinance, the C&ED has been cracking down on illicit cigarette activities across the entire supply chain, including:
 
(i) Upstream interception of smuggling: The C&ED combats smuggling via cargo and postal parcels through maintaining intelligence exchange with the Mainland law enforcement agencies and overseas law enforcement agencies. Currently, penalties for duty-not-paid cigarettes have been significantly increased. The number of large-scale cigarette smuggling cases detected by the C&ED rose from 40 in 2024 to 126 in 2025. The C&ED has strengthened enforcement at control points, with a real-time notification mechanism established with the Mainland to stop passengers from bringing in excessive duty-free cigarettes using the "ant-moving-home" tactic. Penalties for offences of failing to declare to Customs Officers compoundable have been increased; the number of cases by imposing a penalty on offences compoundable intercepted by the C&ED at control points rose from 19 071 in 2024 to 26 982 in 2025. The rise in the number of cases involving the seizure of illicit cigarettes reflects the effectiveness of the C&ED’s enhanced efforts in combating illicit cigarettes, and the success of these enforcement strategies does not imply that the scale of illicit cigarette activities has expanded. To further combat illicit cigarettes, the Government will fully implement the Duty Stamp System by December 2027, requiring duty-paid cigarette packs to be affixed with stamps so that law enforcement officers and the public can clearly distinguish between duty-paid and duty-not-paid cigarettes.

(ii) Midstream enforcement against storage: Based on risk assessments and intelligence analysis, the C&ED identifies illicit cigarette storage and repackaging sites, and follows up on leads obtained from various channels, including "dim sum sheets". In addition to the few recent raids on illicit cigarette storage, the C&ED cracked down over 100 cases of illicit cigarette storage and distribution in 2024 and 2025 respectively.

(iii) Downstream suppression of sales: Targeting sales points operated by illicit cigarette syndicates disguised as newspaper stalls and stores, the requirement has taken effect for tobacco products being sold at a price lower than the tobacco duty to be proved duty-paid. To date, the C&ED has cracked down on a total of 10 relevant cases.

     Illicit cigarette syndicates employ low-cost, low-risk methods to attract customers, such as placing online advertisements and distributing flyers for illicit cigarettes in public housing estates as highlighted by the Hon Cheung, which are integral parts to their operations. The Government has been closely monitoring the situation and taking corresponding enforcement actions. This type of behaviour also violates the prohibition on displaying advertisements for tobacco products under the Smoking (Public Health) Ordinance; offenders found guilty upon summary conviction are liable to a maximum fine of $50,000.

     In respect of flyers for illicit cigarettes in public housing estates, to align with the overall strategy of combating the illicit cigarette supply chain and safeguarding public health, the C&ED, the TACO (Tobacco and Alcohol Control Office) of the DH, the Police Force (Hong Kong Police Force), and the HD have established a robust interdepartmental co-operation mechanism. If the staff of the HD discovers anyone distributing flyers for smoking products in public housing estates, they will immediately stop the activity, report to the Police, and arrange prompt clearance of the flyers. If security guards recover flyers advertising the sale of illicit cigarettes, the estate office will notify the C&ED, which will then investigate and follow-up according to the information on the flyers. Furthermore, if a public housing unit is found to be involved in offences related to illicit cigarettes, the C&ED will notify the HD after the court concludes the case so that follow-up action can be taken in accordance with the terms of the tenancy agreement or the Marking Scheme for Estate Management Enforcement in Public Housing Estates. From 2021 to April this year, the HD has taken actions against 47 tenants involved in offences related to illicit cigarettes, including allotment of points or termination of tenancy.

     Law enforcement agencies often face considerable challenges when conducting the above operations in public housing estates. These estates are large in area with numerous buildings, and offenders generally leave the scene quickly after committing the act. Moreover, if a person is merely found to be in possession of such flyers rather than actively distributing them, law enforcement officers would require sufficient evidence before prosecution can be instituted. Law enforcement officers often need to conduct prolonged surveillance and ambush operations, relying on the right timing in order to apprehend the offenders.

     Nevertheless, through close co-operation, the abovementioned departments conducted over 198 joint operations from 2025 to April this year in the public housing estates across Hong Kong. The C&ED has also continuously combated the street-level sales across all districts and telephone orders for illicit cigarettes within public housing estates. These efforts included uncovering cases where public housing flats were used as storage for illicit cigarettes and referring cases involving suspected distribution of flyers for advertising illicit cigarettes to the TACO for follow-up. Since 2021, the TACO has issued 31 summonses involving the illegal distribution of flyers on tobacco product in public housing estates, with the maximum fine for convicted cases being $8,000.

     The success of these enforcement efforts relies on proactive reporting and co-operation from residents and security guards, which demonstrate that the multi-level collaborative approach is effective. Beyond enforcement, the Government is committed to raising public awareness of current regulations through public education and promotion. During 2025 and the first four months of 2026, the departments mentioned above, in collaboration with Legislative Council members, District Council members, and Community Care Teams, visited 36 public housing estates to brief estate security guards and residents on how to respond when encountering suspected violations and encourage them to report suspected illicit cigarette activities. 

     The Government will continue to spare no effort in combating illicit cigarettes, with an aim of fundamentally eliminating the negative impact they brought to the society.

     ​Thank you, President.

Ends/Wednesday, May 20, 2026
Issued at HKT 16:10

NNNN