$7.2m Cigarette Haul Seized by Customs

Source from:  thestandard.com.hk Paul Mozur September 03, 2008 09/09/2008

Customs officers have seized what they described as the largest haul of smuggled cigarettes so far this year. The haul, seized last Thursday, comprised 4.8 million cigarettes valued at HK$7.2 million, representing HK$4.5 million in evaded taxes, said commander Andy Hui Wai-ming of the anti-illicit-cigarette investigation division. The cigarettes were destined for Turkey. Customs officers seized a 40-foot container at Tsing Yi Container Terminal No 9 after a tip-off. When the container, which came from Yantian in Shenzhen, was scanned with portable X-ray devices, officers found the density did not match the described contents, liquid crystal displays. This was the third seizure of illicit transnational cigarettes this year. Smugglers from the mainland ship cigarettes through Hong Kong and on to other destinations to avoid taxes. Hui said Hong Kong is targeted as an intermediary location because its good reputation among international ports increases the chance of customs clearance elsewhere. He added that a few shipments of illicit cigarettes through a port of Hong Kong's size were not a significant cause for concern. This year officials have found 9.6 million illicit transnational cigarettes. Last year they uncovered 52 million, but in 2006 only 4.01 million were found. Despite the recent confiscations, Hui said there was no concern of a rising trend of smuggling. He said the scale of shipments was a better indicator of the extent of the smuggling problem than the quantity of cigarettes smuggled. Thursday's shipment filled only half a shipping container, while the largest shipments last year filled two containers. Customs officials are conducting a follow-up investigation and have informed their counterparts in the mainland and Turkey. Hui stressed the battle against smuggling will not be won overnight. "These kinds of operations take a long time. We do very intelligent analysis and smugglers are not as smart as you think," he said. "With the indicators we study and rapidly improving technology, our effectiveness increases every year." The cigarettes, which were all labeled Marlboro Light brand, are believed to be fake and will be tested later this week. Enditem