On January 15, Hong Kong Customs seized about 8.9 million suspected illicit cigarettes and 600,000 suspected HNB cartridges with tax unpaid in Ping Che.
The estimated market value is approximately HK$26 million and the taxable value is approximately HK$18 million. The Customs believes that the operation has smashed a suspected illicit cigarette storage warehouse.
In the early morning of the 15th, customs officers carried out an anti-illicit cigarette operation in Ping Che. They seized the suspected illicit cigarettes and unpaid HNB cartridge products in a tin house and a light truck. The Customs arrested a 24-year-old man suspected of being involved in the case and detained the light truck for investigation.
Currently, the case is still under investigation, and it is not ruled out that more people will be arrested. According to Hong Kong’s Dutiable Commodities Ordinance, tobacco is a dutiable commodity. Any product containing tobacco ingredients is dutiable and regulated by the “Regulations”.
