13 arrests in Hong Kong cigarette smuggling crackdown

Customs officials seized about 2.1 million illicit cigarettes and arrested 13 people in the latest raid on cross-border tobacco smugglers.The seizures, valued at about HK$5.6 million, followed a two-week operation targeting vehicles crossing the border from the mainland. Two cars were seized and five suspected tobacco storage pointswere smashed.The tobacco involved would have attracted duties of HK$4.1 million, customs said.Illicit cigarettes have grown in popularity in recent years as taxes have risen. One British study said as many as a third of cigarettes smoked in Hong Kong in 2012 were illegal, although the claim has been disputed by anti-smoking campaigners.

 

 

http://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1661825/13-arrests-hong-kong-cigarette-smuggling-crackdown