Hong Kong Customs raided four suspected illicit cigarette storage warehouses in San Tin, Tsuen Wan and North Point on September 1, arresting four men and seizing about 4.25 million suspected illicit cigarettes, according to reports. The operation was part of a territory-wide crackdown on the storage and distribution of illicit tobacco.
The cigarettes were reported to have a market value of about HK$20 million and a duty value of about HK$14 million. The case was described as involving a suspected illicit cigarette group that operated through telephone orders.
At about noon, Customs officers searched a metal shed in San Tin and found about 500,000 suspected untaxed cigarettes. Star Headline reported that a 31-year-old local man who said he was unemployed was arrested at the site.
A seven-seater vehicle at the San Tin shed was also found to contain a large number of suspected cigarette-distribution flyers. Reports said the flyers may have been intended for deliveries in Yuen Long, while the vehicle was suspected of being used to distribute illicit cigarettes.
Both reports said four men were arrested. i-CABLE News reported that they were aged between 27 and 52 and had all said they were unemployed, while the other report gave specific details only about the 31-year-old man arrested in San Tin. The supplied reports do not establish the individual roles allegedly played by the men.
The specific charges, prosecution status and links between the four warehouses and the vehicle were not stated in the supplied information. It was also unclear whether Customs would make further arrests or how the suspected telephone-order network operated.