The Customs and Excise Department said it seized about 2.79 million suspected illegal cigarettes in an operation spanning Sheung Shui and Fan Kam Road on 5 November. The cigarettes had an estimated market value of HK$12.55 million.
Officers first found about 980,000 suspected illegal cigarettes in a truck at a parking-area unloading zone and arrested a 52-year-old mainland Chinese man who said he was the driver. Follow-up analysis traced the consignment to a tin-sheet yard on Fan Kam Road, where officers found about 1.81 million more cigarettes. Customs estimated the total dutiable value at HK$9.22 million.
Customs said its investigation indicated the yard was being used to store and repackage cigarettes for export.