Customs seize HK$1.7m worth of illegal cigarettes hidden in fake water heaters
PUBLISHED : Friday, 22 November, 2013, 5:06pm
UPDATED : Friday, 22 November, 2013, 5:06pm
Clifford Lo [email protected]
In the first 10 months of this year, customs have intercepted 22 big smuggling attempts involving at least 500,000 illegal cigarettes in each case. Photo: SCMP Pictures
Customs officers confiscated more than HK$1.7 million worth contraband cigarettes hidden in fake electric water heaters on Friday.
The consignment – the second such seizure in three months – was discovered after officers followed a cross-boundary lorry to a logistic centre in Sheung Shui at about 11am.
The 34-year-old driver was arrested while unloading the goods from the lorry. The vehicle, which arrived from Shenzhen, was registered as carrying metal and nylon products and ceramic tiles.
Wan Hing-chuen, who heads the customs’ investigation division combating illicit tobacco, said the fake heaters looked real but the shells were made of plastic instead of metal.
“There were built-in electric sockets and power switches on the blue rectangular casing,” he said.
“Each fake water heater can store two boxes containing 16,000 illicit cigarettes. We seized a total of 43 such heaters in the operation.”
He said the consignment, which had an estimated market value of HK$1.72 million, was for local consumption.
Wan believes the seized cigarettes were replacements after customs officers seized HK$5.8 million worth of illegal cigarettes from another cross-boundary truck and five storage centres in the Kowloon East region, and arrested three men and one woman, in the past two weeks.
“Investigations indicate that the five suspects are core members of the same cigarette-smuggling syndicate,” he said. He believes the syndicate had been dismantled.
Officers are investigating how long the syndicate was in operation.
This concealment method was first uncovered in August when customs raided an industrial unit in Kwun Tong and seized 1.3 million cigarettes with an estimated market value of HK$3.3 million.
In the first 10 months of this year, customs have intercepted 22 big smuggling attempts involving at least 500,000 illegal cigarettes in each case. There were 17 such cases in the whole of last year.
The maximum penalty for smuggling is a HK$2 million fine and imprisonment for seven years, while anyone involved in handling, possessing, selling or buying illicit cigarettes can receive a fine of HK$1 million and a two-year jail term.
