Hong Kong Customs seizes 32,873 USD illicit cigarettes

Hong Kong Customs said Wednesday that 102,400 sticks of duty-not-paid cigarettes valued about 255, 000 HK dollars (about 32,873 U.S. dollars) were seized at Lok Ma Chau Control Point on Tuesday.

The cigarettes with a duty potential of about 175,000 million HK dollars were found by Customs officers in an inbound private car at Lok Ma Chau on Tuesday evening. A 37 year-old-Hong Kong man was arrested and the private car was seized.

Under Dutiable Commodities Ordinance, anyone involved in dealing with, possession of, selling and buying illicit cigarettes commits an offence. The maximum penalty is a fine of 1 million HK dollars and an imprisonment for two years. (1 U.S. dollar is equivalent to 7.75 HK dollars)